Rapid City, SD — After a distinguished career spanning several tax seasons, dreaded deadlines, and special occasions when certain admin staff were in a good mood, Paco Popcorn, Casey Peterson, LTD’s beloved appliance, finally shuffled off his heating coil.

Paco, a stalwart of the break room, met his demise on Monday, Feb. 12, leaving behind a legacy of satisfied snackers and slightly greasy tax forms.

Paco’s origins are shrouded in mystery, much like certain tax write-offs. Regardless of his past, Paco quickly became an integral part of the CP family. His pleasant popping soothed stressed CPAs, and his buttery aroma was the balm for baffling tax legislation.

But like all good things, Paco’s reign of snack-time supremacy had to come to an end. His pops grew weaker, his buttery sputters more frequent. Finally, with a last puff and a sigh, he went silent. Tears of salty popcorn withdrawal were shed. Staff wandered the halls, lost and listless, their fingers twitching for a phantom kernel.

However, Paco’s legacy lives on. The firm now honors his memory with a new popcorn machine, christened “Paco Jr.”

So farewell, Paco. You may be gone, but you will never be forgotten. Your staunch service to the CP team will be etched in the annals of breakroom history, forever a reminder that even the most hardworking staff … uh, appliances, deserve a break … eventually.

In lieu of flowers, the firm requests donations to the “Paco Jr. Popcorn Fund.”