Vicksburg and Warren County lost a friend and one of its biggest boosters with the death of Rowdy Nosser.

Much has already been written about Rowdy, and no doubt his name will be remembered in later newspaper articles and conversations.

“If anybody was a part of this community, certainly Rowdy Nosser was,” Mayor George Flaggs Jr. said. “His daddy was an entrepreneur here and Rowdy followed in his footsteps. He has been an integral part of this community from supporting education to being a civil leader and a business leader — everything. He will forever be missed in Vicksburg. His generosity was beyond measure.”

“Rowdy was such a good advocate for Vicksburg. He was all in when it came to Vicksburg,” said Mark Buys, president of the Vicksburg Division of BancorpSouth, and a longtime friend.

“Rowdy took an interest in the youth of our community and did lots of things for athletic teams and young people here that people didn’t know about.”

He was a member of the city’s recreation committee that studied the city’s recreation facilities and spearheaded the move for the sports complex. He was a very active member of the committee, emphasizing the need for the sports complex as an economic development tool, but more importantly its primary purpose to provide a place where the area’s youth could become involved in outdoor activities.

He emphasized that point on many occasions, reminding committee members, “Remember, this is for the kids.”

His restaurants, Rowdy’s and Taco Casa, are popular places for local diners, and Rowdy’s signature dessert, Mississippi mud pie, was highlighted on a program on ISP, and the restaurant will be featured again on the Travel Channel in October. The pie is set to go into national distribution.

But for Rowdy, the focus wasn’t him or the dish.

“We know the Travel Channel has such a far reach that once this is played and replayed, that will stimulate a lot of attention to not only the mud pie, but to the city of Vicksburg and to the state as a whole.”

“That’s where I was headed when I had this opportunity, to take the focus off me and to give something back to my hometown,” Nosser said.

It’s that kind of love and unselfish attitude toward his hometown we’ll miss with Rowdy’s passing.