Our friend, and a great friend to this community, Jim Burris passed away this week.

Jim was a great friend to this community and was always there when you needed him or when the city or county needed him.

He stepped forward as a community leader and served for many years in various ways. He served for many years on the Russell Springs City Council and as Mayor of our City.

He was always fair and honest and to us that is one of the greatest attributes a man can achieve

Jim was involved in civic organizations and a great supporter of all community events and undertakings.

Jim served the business community for years with his talent of lettering and painting abilities.

Before the years of the vinyl signage, just about every window and sign in the area contained the talents of Jim Burris.

We have to remember this story and tell about Jim painting our boat.

We obtained a small cabin cruiser and we asked Jim to individualize our boat and paint a name on the back of the cruiser.

“Fine,” he said, “Bring it to me.”

After begging a long and pitiful story along with the fact we did not have a trailer, he agreed to go to the lake and do it at the dock.

We can still picture Jim sitting on the edge of the dock, feet dangling in the water, brush in one hand and trying to hold the boat still with the other hand while he painted.

We kept trying to tell him if he would sit in the water, he would bounce up and down at the same time the boat did.

Jim was a friend.

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Baxter Brown sent us the following comments about Jim Burris and his words reflect the characteristics and life of Jim Burris in the truest form.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009.  No doubt many men around the world have left this Earth today for Heaven and in some ways big or small the lack of their footfall will be noticed.  Though I do not know them all, I do know one.  His handiwork can be found in the lives of many people and our community has lost a great man today.

Jim Burris was a man immensely rich with the true treasures of life.  God, family, love, laughter; a character list long in name and in measure difficult to describe.  Perhaps though his greatest gift was his willingness, his pleasure, to share with those he encountered and in so doing he enriched us all and made the world around him such a special place.

Each day with Uncle Jim brought infectious and unpredictable humor, quiet wisdom, a passion for life and a unique comfort.  He was a good and decent man in the purest form and he will sorely be missed.

J. Baxter Brown