Outgoing, irrepressible and unforgettable, Lizzie Burda will always be remembered as the Ultimate Fannie for her beloved Tampa Bay Rowdies. In 1975, she was charged with heading up the fan club for the expansion Rowdies, Tampa’s first foray into professional sports. Armed with her trademark tambourine, she handled the task with enthusiasm, aplomb and, well, passion. Who can forget her birthday-celebration night, when she stood in the center circle, being serenaded by the strains of “Happy Birthday’’ from the entire stadium? “From the beginning, I loved all of the Rowdies players,’’ Burda once said. “So naturally, I grew to love the game of soccer.’’ Burda, born Julia Elizabeth Sheffield in Springfield, Mass., always seemed like the life of the party, even though she stood 4-foot-8. She loved entertaining and once toured the country with a children’s theatre group. She married John Burda in 1959, moved to Tampa and never wanted to leave, working as a banker, retail salesperson and bookkeeper. Once the Rowdies arrived, Burda truly found her niche. Burda peacefully died in her sleep on April 28 at the age of 96.