Elizabeth "Lizzie" Burda

Lizzie Burda, born, Julia Elizabeth Sheffield, of Tampa, Florida, passed away peacefully in her sleep early Monday morning, April 28th, 2025. Born on August, 5th 1928, in Springfield, Massachusetts, the oldest of three children to her parents, Mallon J. and Julia Smith Sheffield. Lizzie came into the world with birth defects and struggles that formed the person we all knew. At 4’ 8” tall, Lizzie loved to entertain and be the center of attention. At 24 years old her passion for teaching and performing took her to a children’s theater group run by an actress named Claire Tree Major. Lizzie toured the country, covering 33 states, while entertaining thousands of kids and adults in 1952 and ‘53.

Lizzie married John Burda, from New York, and moved to Tampa in 1959. Her first job in Tampa was at the Tampa Marine & Trust Bank. She worked in the children’s department of the now defunct Maas Brothers department store. Her detailed and organized nature brought her to book-keeping at Springlock Scaffolding and later Dobson Hicks food brokerage. In 1975 Lizzie was charged with heading up the fan club for Tampa Bay’s new professional soccer team, the Rowdies. Her impact was felt immediately among the team and fans. Her lifelong commitment to the team was recognized on her birthday at center field during halftime of her beloved Rowdies as the stadium sang Happy Birthday. Her mantra was “make it work”, a phrase that embodied her life.

Tampa was her town and she never wanted to be anywhere else. Lizzie’s attention to detail made her an excellent seamstress as she learned to make her own clothes by the age of 8 years old. Though Lizzie could not have children of her own she loved to be around them. She loved helping her sister, Hemmie, raise her three boys in Clearwater and sharing her love for animals with babysitting trips to Lowery Park Zoo. She would talk to trees and could not pass a flower without noticing its beauty.

Her caring nature was on display as she turned her birthday parties, which were held at the Longhorns Steakhouse on Dale Mabry, into a mini reunion for her beloved Rowdies, old friends and family. Instead of presents Lizzie asked people to bring stuffed animals that she could donate to the Tampa Police for distraught children.

Lizzie became an icon in her circle and if she was at any social gathering… you knew it.

She will be missed by all of those that knew her as it was hard to see how such a large personality could fit in such a small body.

Predeceased by her brother, Craton Sheffield and leaves behind her sister, Emelyn “Hemmie” Gilmore and her nieces, nephews and great grand nephew.

A remembrance gathering for friends and family will be held at Blount & Curry, 3207 W. Bearss Ave, Tampa, 33618, on Thursday, May 8th, at 5 to 7 pm.