Burns H Yancy
(1876-1961)
photo submitted by Todd Chenoweth
- toddjan@ev1.net
San Angelo Standard Times, San Angelo, Texas, April 30 1961
Funeral services for Burns H. Yancy, 84, an ex-mayor of San Angelo and a civic leader until ill health forced his retirement, will be held at 10 a.m. Monday in the First Methodist Church, with Dr. James Leavell, pastor of First Baptist Church, and Rev. Fred Hamner, Methodist pastor at Knickerbocker, officiating.
Burial will be at Fairmont Cemetery under the direction of Johnsons Funeral Home.
Mr. Yancy, in ill health for the last four years, died at 7:15 a.m. Saturday in St. Johns Hospital. He suffered from a heart condition, having his first attack four years ago.
Mr. Yancy was born June 28, 1876, in Shelbyville, Tenn., and was 2 years old before he became a Texan. And he did that in the tradition of the pioneers, moving with his parents to Grapevine in a covered wagon. The trip from Tennessee to Texas required eight weeks.
Leader in Grapevine
Mr. Yancy attended public schools in Grapevine and was graduated from a business college in Fort Worth at the age of 16. He lived on a farm until he was 24 years old and then went into the implement business at Grapevine with his father.
He got a taste of the newspaper business early in life. While in school he and another youth went to Lewisville and for $350 bought a hand printing press and some type. With this equipment the two established the Grapevine Sun, a newspaper still in existence. The boys sold out later for a profit.
Mr. Yancy also established the first electric plant in Grapevine and served there as mayor four years and as city secretary for another four years. He was mayor of Grapevine when he moved to San Angelo in 1913.
Here he purchased the interest of H. A. Bullock in the Henderson Buggy & Implement Co. George Richardson was an associate in the company. In 1920, Mr. Yancy acquired the Richardson interest with his sons, John and Herbert Yancy, as partners in the business.
Business Is Sold
This business was sold in 1938 and Mr. Yancy returned to farming.
Mr. Yancy was president of the San Angelo Fair Association in 1920 and later served 25 years as secretary-treasurer of the association. In 1918 when World War I was ending, directors of the association were on the verge of closing the annual exposition. Yancy insisted on carrying on and was instrumental in selling more shares of stock in the association so that it was continued for several more years.
In 1920 Mr. Yancy became mayor. . . . Under Mr. Yancys administration the city acquired old Cemetery Gridiron, just east of the old high school building, between Oakes and Magdalen, for $5,000. Mr. Yancy was delighted to recall many times the property became worth more than $100,000 and it was transferred to the school system. He regarded the Cemetery Gridiron deal as one of his monumental services to the city.
Associated With Bank
Mr. Yancy served as a director of the Board of City Development for two terms. He was one of the organizers and first served as a director and later as vice president of the old Guaranty State Bank here. He was cashier of the bank at the time it was merged with the San Angelo National Bank. He was a steward of the Methodist Church for 62 years and for 20 years was secretary-treasurer of the San Angelo District for the church.
He was married to Miss Edith Cate on Oct. 12, 1898. She died here in 1944.
On March 14, 1949, Mr. Yancy and Mrs. Lucy Hersey of San Angelo were married here.
Mr. Yancy was employed in the office of L. D. Giles, county tax assessor-collector here, in 1945 and he remained under the regime of Jimmie Keen, who now holds the office, until he suffered a heart attack in 1957. He recovered sufficiently to return to work on a half-day basis but recurring attacks forced him to retire.
Mr. Yancy is survived by his wife; two sons, John Yancy of Atlanta, Ga., and Wilbur Yancy of San Antonio; a step-daughter, Mrs. Edwin K. Simmons, Corpus Christi; five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Pallbearers will be M. S. McMillan, Jimmie Keen, Clarence Ligon, Harry Ridling, John T. Williams, O. A. Carr, H. C. Charless and Briscoe Dunn, all of San Angelo.