William Antonio Corrado Azzi: Coach. Teacher. Father. Husband. Born Nov. 23, 1937, in Pievepelago, Modena, Italy; died Oct. 14, 2024, of natural causes, in Burnaby, B.C.
William AzziCourtesy of family
William Azzi’s early life gave no hint of the path it would take. When he was born in northern Italy, his father was in Eritrea, part of Italian East Africa, intending to move the family there. The Second World War disrupted those plans. The British interned Adolfo as an enemy alien, and William was eight before he met his father.
In 1944, the Germans established a defensive line across the Apennines and through his town. William saw partisans hanging on makeshift gallows and locals, including his brother Gianni, rounded up as forced labour.
In 1945, an American bomber missed its target and destroyed the Azzi family house. No one was home at the time, but the family lost nearly everything.
By the war’s end, Italy was devastated. William’s parents, Cornelia and Adolfo, wanted to go to Canada. In 1948, the family prepared to board a ship for Halifax. But when they arrived at the pier in Genoa, a Canadian immigration officer cancelled their visas without explanation. After a two-year appeal, the family was allowed to immigrate.
Arriving in Vancouver in 1950 as a skinny Italian boy who did not speak English, William was a target for bullies. He toughened up, became a boxer – adopting the nickname Willie after the Italian-American boxer Willie Pep – and learned to stand his ground. Most people thought it was a lesson he learned too well.
Willie was intelligent but never a good student. He was expelled from high school and abandoned his education. Soon enough, his brother Gianni arrived from Italy and insisted that Willie return to school.
Willie eventually discovered his two loves, soccer and Gloria McDonald, a nursing student whom he met at a fraternity party when he was a mathematics student at the University of British Columbia. They would be married for 61 years and have two sons, Stephen and David.
Willie’s work ethic defined him. He taught math and business at high schools in Greater Vancouver; he taught night school; he coached his school’s soccer teams; he coached teams for the Cape Horn club in Coquitlam and helped run the organization; he made the Metro Ford Soccer Club the most successful soccer club in Canada; he served on the B.C. Soccer board; and he worked as an accountant for several small businesses, many owned by Italian immigrants.
William Azzi in 1954. He became a boxer when he first arrived in Canada.Courtesy of family
At home he was constantly teaching. But his sons did not always grasp his meaning. “It’s not smart to be dumb,” he would say. Or “When you’re looking for something, look where it is, not where it isn’t.” Stephen and David didn’t learn much from that wisdom. The lessons they learned came from his example, not his words.
He retired early after his principal would not allow him time off to go to the 1994 World Cup in the United States. Soon after, he became president of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League. The league’s premier division trophy is now called the William Azzi Cup, a recognition of his 20 years at the helm.
His generosity of spirit left a lasting impression. One story exemplifies this: William made sure a troubled boy stayed on the soccer team. He drove the boy to and from every practice and game, bought his soccer boots and shin pads, and included him in family meals. The boy often lost his temper but the coach explained, calmly, the importance of self-control. Years later, that boy wrote to David: “Your dad made lives better. He changed part of the world for the better.” That boy was just one of many.
In his final years, William spent time with his grandchildren, Julia, Isabella, Mark, Victoria and Sofia, eager to go to their soccer games and pass on insights, particularly on the flaws of the semester system used in their schools.
With his booming voice and enormous personality, William Azzi was a towering presence. His legacy is one of selflessness, resilience and a relentless drive to help others achieve their potential.
Stephen Azzi is William Azzi’s son.
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