Remembering William Capretti
WILLIAM CAPRETTI (November 5, 1957—May 11, 2009)
 Hempfield Recreation is still mourning the loss of William “Coach Bill”
Capretti.
After five months of courageously battling brain cancer, Bill passed away on
May 11, 2009 surrounded by his loving family. Coach Bill is deeply missed by
the recreation department and all the parents and children involved in
Hempfield Recreation Soccer programs.
Bill
served in the Navy and was retired from the Army National Guard after
serving
his country for 20 years. He was a firefighter with the Youngwood Volunteer
Fire Company
for several years. Prior to his illness, he was a lieutenant prison
guard at the Westmoreland
County Prison where he was employed since 1990. Underneath the tough
exterior needed in
his job, was a gentle, kind man who loved his family, children, and soccer.
For many years his spare time was devoted to coaching, refereeing, and
working with Hempfield Recreation’s soccer camps and leagues. For the last
four years, he was the Youth Soccer Co-Coordinator for Hempfield Recreation.
He was the former director of recreation with PA West Soccer Association, a
USYSA referee and a PIAA referee. Thanks “Coach Bill” for making a
difference in many soccer kids lives.
Many memories come to our minds of Bill’s years with Hempfield Recreation.
Who could forget “Coach Bill” crawling on his hands and knees trying to coax a
reluctant Iddy Biddy Kicker participant to follow him onto the field? Or perhaps
just remembering him on the field in his striped shirt and whistle refereeing
one of our many soccer games. If you were privileged to know Bill, you knew a
great guy and friend. It wasn’t unusual for Bill to be in a restaurant or
store and have him be approached by a past inmate from the prison who just
wanted to say “hi” and “how you doing”?
He was a devoted and loving husband to Marlene and an involved father to his two
sons, Mark and Mike. Sometimes it required strict discipline with the
boys, but given in love for their betterment. He always encouraged his
boys to be the “best they could be” and was very proud of the young men they
grew up to be. He worked many hours along side of his wife, Marlene,
helping with anything that needed to be done for soccer in Hempfield Township.
One problem Bill had was not being able to say “no” to anything that was asked
of him to do.
Hempfield Recreation has lost two great soccer men in the last several
years—Larry Leggett in 2001 and most recently, Bill Capretti. If there are
soccer games in heaven, maybe Larry needed Bill to referee.
We will always remember Bill and Larry with a mixture of tears and smiles, but
our loss is heaven’s gain.
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