William Antonio Corrado Azzi

William Azzi died peacefully in Burnaby on 14 October 2024 at the age of 86.

Born on 23 November 1937 in Pievepelago in the Italian province of Modena, he immigrated to Canada with his parents and two of his sisters in 1950, settling in Vancouver’s East End. He attended Notre Dame and Britannia High Schools before going to the University of British Columbia, where he received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and Western Washington State College, where received a master’s in education.

Mr. Azzi taught math, economics, and business for more than 30 years at Sir Charles Tupper, Centennial, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody Senior Secondary Schools, as well as at Lahr Senior School in Germany. In the evenings and on weekends, he worked as an accountant for many small businesses, particularly those owned by Italian immigrants.

In the 1950s, Willie and his brother Gianni helped found Columbus FC, a soccer club for Italian immigrants. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Willie coached boys and girls soccer teams at the schools where he taught. In the 1970s, he was the leading figure in the expansion of the Cape Horn Soccer Club from a small neighbourhood club to the dominant organization in youth soccer in Westminster District, the area spanning from New Westminster and Port Moody to Maple Ridge. In 1984, he helped found and became a driving force behind Metro Ford Soccer Club, which for years was the most successful youth soccer club in Canada. Along the way, he coached many championship-winning teams for both Cape Horn and Metro Ford. For twenty years, he was president of the Vancouver Metro Soccer League, which he saved from collapse after the embezzlement of the league’s funds by its former president.

For his contributions to the development of soccer in British Columbia, William Azzi received numerous honours. He twice received the President’s Award from Sport BC. BC Soccer honoured him with life membership, the Award of Merit, and the A.C. Sandford Award. In 2020, the Vancouver Metro Soccer League named its premier division trophy “The William Azzi Cup.” He was inducted into the Coquitlam Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the British Columbia Soccer Hall of Fame in 2023.

He was predeceased by his parents, Cornelia and Adolfo, and by his siblings, Arrigo (Anna), Tina (Secondo Brunoro), Gianni (Marie-Denise), Nia (Renato Galassini), and Lea (Fausto Bortoluzzi). He is survived by his wife Gloria, his sons Stephen (Adriana Gouvêa) and David (Angela), and his grandchildren, Julia, Isabella, Mark, Victoria, and Sofia. He will be missed by many nieces and nephews in Canada, the United States, and Italy who share fond memories of their beloved Zio Bibi. The family is grateful to the caregivers at the New Vista Care Home for their kindness and compassion over the last two years.

A funeral mass will be held Friday, 25 October 2024, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at St. Francis de Sales Parish, 6610 Balmoral St., Burnaby. A reception to celebrate William’s life will take place at the Royal Canadian Legion, 1025 Ridgeway Ave., Coquitlam, beginning at 12:00 noon. In William’s memory, contributions may be made to the William Azzi Memorial Scholarship at https://my.charitableimpact.com/groups/william-azzi-memorial-scholarship-fund