SYA Family-
We recently lost a long-standing, valuable member of the SYA organization, Bill Hughes. For decades, Bill was loved by many as a lacrosse coach, Lacrosse Commissioner and Lacrosse Vice Commissioner. We extend our condolences to the entire Hughes family. Please see a message below from the Hughes family.
-SYA Board of Directors
Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Coach, and Champion to our Community
Bill Hughes was a beloved member of the Northern Virginia Lacrosse community. He spent 30 years coaching, 15 years as the Commissioner of SYA Lacrosse, and for the last 7 years of his life, he was Lacrosse Vice Commissioner. In 2014, he took over the snack stand at E.C. Lawrence Park as a way to fundraise for SYA Lacrosse and to be more involved in the community. He was also the first-ever SYA Lacrosse coach to bring home a Championship trophy- with a C team that no one believed would make it.
He loved the community and families that passed through the program. With every new team he coached, he was determined to improve their lacrosse IQ and impart life skills as well. His belief that youth sports taught accountability, teamwork, responsibility, communication, and hard work was the foundation for his coaching philosophy. And one of the reasons why so many of his players were always so happy to run into him at the grocery store – even 20 years after they left the program.
Above his dedication to youth sports was his love of his family: his wife Maggie, sons Will & Kevin, his daughter DeAnna, and grandson Sydney. The love he showed them was unconditional and larger than life. He would get random, thoughtful gifts or call you out of the blue. He would make you laugh til you were blue in the face. And he would support you through any crisis with wise words and a firm sense of right and wrong. He was a coach, a hero, and a passionate advocate.
He was a strong supporter of The American Boy Foundation and their annual Fall Brawl. He made sure to promote it to the community and attend every year. He believed that everyone deserves a chance to get the support they need to battle addiction. And he wanted his passing to be an opportunity for people to fundraise for a cause he cared deeply about. American Boy offers scholarships for treatment, education, and job training programs. All of which help to decrease addiction and opiate related deaths. Please consider donating to American Boy instead of sending flowers in his remembrance.
A viewing will be held at Demaine Funeral Home in Fairfax from 4-8pm on Friday August 1st. A funeral service will be held at Fairfax United Methodist Church on August 2nd at 3pm. A private cremation is planned, and a Celebration of Life will be hosted for the community next Spring. Instead of flowers, Bill requested that people donate to the American Boy Foundation. Condolences and fond memories may be offered at Demaine Funeral Home.
