In the crisp autumn air of early October, the family of four-year-old Leonardo Machado honoured their late son with one of his greatest joys: a ride on the bus.
On Saturday, a big yellow school bus drove Leonardo’s casket from Horseshoe Bay terminal, where a bus crash took his life in May, to Holy Rosary Cathedral in Vancouver for the funeral service.
The last stop was Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, where Leonardo was laid to rest — overlooking a bus stop.
Leonardo loved buses, said his father, Clineau Machado. He said the resting place near the bus stop will be a symbolic home for his son, who he described as a “happy camper.”
“He can see the bus coming and going every time it comes.… It’s going to be there for him.”
Leonardo Machado was buried overlooking a bus stop on 41st Avenue in Vancouver. The four-year-old, who died in a bus crash, is remembered by his family as a ‘happy camper’ who loved buses, trains and cars. (Nav Rahi/CBC)
Leonardo died May 28 while waiting at a bus stop at the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal in West Vancouver. He and his mother, Silvana de Oliveira Schramm, were hit by a bus when witnesses say it hopped the curb.
De Oliveira Schramm was seriously injured in the crash. Another woman, a family friend, was hit and hospitalized in stable condition.
West Vancouver Police Department said it continues to investigate the incident but has no updates at this time.
The funeral date was pushed back multiple times, according to Machado, in order to make sure de Oliveira Schramm was well enough to attend.
Clineau Machado (centre) helps place the casket of his son Leonardo into a school bus as part of his funeral service Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025. Leonardo loved buses, according to his parents. (Hunter Soo/CBC)
She said Leonardo was the most beautiful boy she had seen.
“I’m sad because I just miss him. I know he’s with God. But I miss him forever.”
Machado said his wife has had more than 20 surgeries since the crash.
“She’s brave and a driven person,” he said.
Machado said he’s extremely grateful for the health-care professionals taking care of his wife, the cathedral, the company First Student, Inc. for donating the school bus for the day, and the community for their support.
“We are blessed to have the support to make the closure today, and honour his name and his happy life,” he said.
Machado said his son was always happy, smiling and ready to go outside.
“When it’s sunny, dry, like today, oh! He grabbed my hand, or Silvana’s hand, and hauled us to the door: ‘Let’s go!'”
“We said, ‘Hey, let’s put on shoes first!’ It was like that all the time. Always playing.”
Clineau and Leonardo Machado and Silvana de Oliveira Schramm smile for a picture. (Theresa Morrison/GoFundMe)
Machado said Leonardo, who would have turned five years old on Oct. 27, should be at school now.
“Bringing him in the school bus, it’s kind of reflecting that moment for him.”
Leonardo’s family plans to throw a birthday party for him in the near future.
“Everyone that knows him in person was captivated, you know? Captivated by his happiness and his calm.”