A Marble Falls legend gets a legendary retirement party
Jimmy Burney got one heck of a retirement party at First United Bank in Marble Falls. The community came together to celebrate the 78-year-old local legend on Friday, Feb. 27. Staff photo by Dakota Morrissiey
After at least three decades of hand-delivering popcorn across Marble Falls and cheering on the Mustangs, local legend Jimmy Burney is retiring. The community turned out in force for a party thrown in his honor on Friday, Feb. 27, at First United Bank.
The 78-year-old Marble Falls resident is best known for picking up bags of complimentary popcorn from First United Bank every Friday and passing them out around town at his favorite spots, like Atkins Pharmacy, Salem Jewelry, Security State Bank & Trust, PNC Bank, and Highland Furniture. He is also known as the biggest fan of Marble Falls High School sports, having dutifully supported and watched generations of young athletes take the field, court, and track.
“(Jimmy is) the number one fan of the community of Marble Falls,” Farren Fox, a life-long resident, told DailyTrib at the retirement party. “He is the town mascot. Everybody loves Jimmy. He’s got a whole list of people that are loving and taking care of him.”
Fox said that she has known Jimmy since she was little, and he still comes into the offices of Mark Fox Real Estate in Marble Falls every morning to visit with her and the rest of the staff.
His retirement party on Friday saw dozens of Marble Falls locals come to pay their respects and celebrate Jimmy’s contributions to the community. The event was thrown by First United Bank commercial Banker Taylor Smith and commercial loan assistant Tammy Ryan.
“(Jimmy) came in (about two weeks ago) and said he was retiring,” Smith said. “He said that it would be his last time taking the popcorn, and we were all kind of taken aback because he has done it so long. My first thought was that we have got to throw him a retirement party. He has been doing this longer than most people work.”
The popcorn in question comes from the bank, which hands it out to customers every Friday.
Jimmy made a name for himself through his popcorn deliveries and encyclopedic knowledge of Mustangs athletics, walking all over the city for decades along the same routes to see his friends and to watch games and practices.
He had been on foot until recently. The long walks became too much, and his neighbor Buddy Miller began driving him along his route. Now, approaching his 80s, Jimmy is retiring from his deliveries altogether, but he isn’t done showing his Mustang spirit.
“Me and brother Max (Copeland) were the biggest fans (of the Mustangs),” Jimmy told DailyTrib. “I’ll stick around as long as I can.”
Copeland, another local legend known for being the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Marble Falls and his love for the community, was close with Jimmy until he passed away in 2015.
Jimmy has been a Marble Falls High School parade marshal multiple times and the recipient of two special letterman jackets to recognize his dedication to the home team. He is known for remembering the stats and scores of countless games and sharing them wherever he goes.
“He has a mind that’s sharp as a tack,” Buddy Miller said. “He can talk to anybody about sports, and he does not like missing a game.”
Wayne Salem, of Salem’s Jewelry, hit home how he felt about Jimmy’s retirement.
“Jimmy’s been coming by for at least 25 years,” he said. “He’s been bringing me and all of my staff popcorn all of that time. We love Jimmy. I’m going to miss him, you look forward to seeing him.”
Miller gave some background on Jimmy’s life, sharing that he had lived here since 1971, having moved up from San Antonio with his parents. Jimmy was totally dependent on his family due to his severe autism, and after his parents died, his brother stepped in to make sure he was cared for. After his brother died around three years ago, the Marble Falls community stepped up to ensure that he was always taken care of and that he could continue making his visits throughout town and follow Mustang sports.
“I think everybody kind of knows its time (for Jimmy to retire),” Farren Fox said. “It’s best for him. It’s a little sad, a little nostalgic, it’s been routine for so long, but I’m sure we will find new traditions with him. There’s enough good people around him that we’ll find him something new.”
Long-time Marble Falls locals are well-acquainted with Jimmy, but so are many newcomers.
“I’ve only been here about a year,” PNC Bank Branch Manager Ashley Huckley said. “I was told the legend when I first got here. Very early on did I get familiar with Jimmy. It’s an honor for him to come in and for us to be a part of his Friday. Coming from Austin, now being in a small town, these are the kinds of things I’ve looked forward to.”