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Remembering Super Fan

Friends, family share fond memories of local legend

By Brad Johnson 8 min read

ELKINS -- Many in Elkins knew him as "Super Fan." Others referred to him as "Mr. Forest Festival." Still others knew him as a devoted carrier of The Inter-Mountain who served his customers for four decades.

John Zirbs, a man known and loved by many residents of Elkins, passed away Wednesday at the age of 63, at Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, under the care of WVU Hospice.

"John was a community icon," said former Elkins Mayor Van Broughton. "He was the Super Fan, and he was Mr. Forest Festival, and he was Mr. Inter-Mountain. He played a part in everybody's life in different ways. He'll be forever missed. His smiling and happiness will live on forever.

"I'll remember him cheering on the Elkins High teams, and being part of every Forest Festival. He was all about Elkins, and he'll be known forever as Mr. Elkins."

Zirbs, a special needs person, was a 1975 graduate of Elkins High School who became the biggest supporter of EHS sports in the school's history by adopting the alter-ego "Super Fan." For decades, Zirbs would appear at all EHS games in full costume, including a cape, to cheer on the Fighting Tigers.

"The city of Elkins lost one of the greatest goodwill ambassadors the city has ever had with the passing of John Zirbs," said Steve Herron, publisher of The Inter-Mountain. "John was no longer a newspaper carrier when I returned to Elkins in 2017, but I would often see John from time to time around town.

"My best memories of John are really from back in the 1970s and 1980s. Often referred to as Super Fan, John would often be at the front, middle or somewhere in between in many parades as the fighting Elkins High School marching band would march to Wimer Stadium for football games along with many dedicated fans.

"John was also a huge fan of the Mountain State Forest Festival," Herron said. "I was fortunate to be the director of the Forest Festival in 1989. I gave John the Honorary Title of 'Mr. Forest Festival' for that year, along with a front-row seat to the country music show that featured Sawyer Brown, The Forester Sisters and Eddie Rabbit. John would always remind me of that every time I saw him.

"Whether he was wearing a hat worn by Hank Keim during the Forest Festival or a cape as the superhero he was, John Zirbs will be sadly missed by those of us that were lucky enough to have known such a great guy."

Zirbs' devotion to delivering The Inter-Mountain was legendary around Elkins and within the newspaper's offices.

"It's sad to hear of John Zirb's death, but I have no sad memories of John from my time working with him at The Inter-Mountain," said Don Smith, former editor and general manager of the newspaper. "John lived life on his terms. From working at the newspaper to appearing as Super Fan at events and parades, John really enjoyed his life.

"Each day, John would help put the advertising inserts into the newspapers and then deliver his downtown route. He enjoyed being at the newspaper and working with everyone. It was very much a family atmosphere at the newspaper. He especially loved our summer picnics on the lot and Christmas parties at The Steer Steakhouse.

"John didn't miss work. In fact, our Circulation Director Jerry Ferguson and his staff would have to monitor John's health to make sure he watched his sugar levels," Smith said. "John only missed work to go on vacation with his sister's family. That vacation, the Mountain State Forest Festival and the Elkins High School football parades and games were his big events.

"Each year, he would come to my office -- months earlier and then regularly until the vacation -- to let me know his vacation was scheduled and that Jerry and Chuck Varney and Jeff Giacobe would cover his route. John might have been the only person in that building who called me 'Mr. Smith' instead of 'Don.'

"It was only when the staff covered John's newspaper route during his vacation that we learned John received soft drinks and snacks at many of his route stops each day. We cracked up laughing. Everyone knew John. He was one of our real characters. The Inter-Mountain was a better place because John was part of the team."

"I went to school with John, from middle school on," said former Inter-Mountain circulation director Jerry Ferguson. "I know Elkins lost a good man today.

"The only time he ever took time off from delivering papers was when he went out of state to visit his sister. He never, ever took off any other time. That man was dedicated. He always showed up and did his job.

"He always sold the most newspapers of anybody during the Forest Festival. He was always very proud of that. He enjoyed meeting all the people and being part of the festival," Ferguson said.

"He was a good man. He always helped out the inserters in the press room. He just loved the newspaper. When he was retiring from his route, he called me. I didn't live in Elkins anymore, but he called me and said, 'Jerry, my feet are bad.' And I said, 'John, I understand. You had to give it up.' His route meant a lot to him. He had a lot of customers who loved him."

Zirbs also had a family who loved him.

"John was a character. His next birthday would have been the 30th of this month," said Zirbs' sister, Carol Zirbs Murphy, who lives in South Carolina. "I understand that his birthday party was already planned at C.J. Maggie's.

"John started delivering The Inter-Mountain when he was 18," she said. "My mother called (longtime Inter-Mountain editor) Eldora Nuzum and asked her if she could give John a job carrying newspapers. As soon as he finished high school, he started delivering a route. At one point he had 75 customers and two routes. They went all over town, all up and down the hills, through downtown and more.

"He would always sell papers at the (Mountain State Forest Festival's) coronation and Grand Feature Parade. He always loved it, walking up and down the streets during the festival selling papers.

"John was very devoted," she said. "If you asked him to do something, he didn't just do it halfway. He gave it all his best."

Zirbs' sister said the roots of his Elkins High School fandom ran deep.

"He always loved Elkins High School sports, and he came out and supported all the teams," she said. "He always loved sports and could tell you all the players and their statistics. And when he was younger, he bowled. He and my dad were members of a bowling league in Elkins.

"When my parents passed away -- Mom died in 1982, and Dad in 1983 -- there was a question of whether John would be able to be on his own. Fortunately, my husband Carl was a rehabilitation counselor, and so before my parents died, we got John the kind of help he needed. He moved into what was then called the Central School apartments. He lived there on his own for several years, and he was able to work delivering the newspaper.

"He always had an apartment," she said. "The last several years, he had a caregiver who came in and cooked meals and so forth. I always said, the state of West Virginia took care of John's needs. But John's family -- and I include the entire town of Elkins in this -- took care of John's wants."

Although Zirbs was committed to remaining in his beloved Elkins, he enjoyed many family visits and trips.

"One year when our son was in sixth grade, his class went to the beach for a class trip and we got permission for Uncle John to go on the class trip to the beach," she said. "He sat right on the bus and he got to do all the things that my son's class did. And he became 'Uncle John' to every one of those children. He made a friend of every child, and there are friends of my son who to this day talk about Uncle John.

"John had the heart of a child that age, but he could still manage his paper route and take care of the money for it and so forth. He was always very serious about that. He was a special person.

"John already has his marker at his grave, by the way. And it does say 'Super Fan' on it."

Officials said the lights at historic Wimer Stadium would be lit for 63 minutes beginning at 8 p.m. Wednesday to honor Zirbs' 63 years of life.

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