Louis Spadia

Louis G. Spadia Lou Spadia was born on January 11, 1921 to Louis and Margret Spadia in the Potrero District of San Francisco, CA. His father worked for Gallo Winery and his mother was a laundress for the French Laundry. Lou always loved baseball and learned to play at Jackson Playground near his childhood home, and became a star second baseman at Mission High School, where he graduated in 1938. He likely would have played Major League baseball, but World War II intervened and he enlisted in the Navy and served from 1939 to 1946, attaining the rank of Chief Petty Officer. While in the Navy, Lou married his high school sweetheart and the love of his life Dorothy Sullivan, on June 21, 1942. On their first date he immediately changed her name to Maggie which he felt suited her Irish beauty. It stuck and everyone knew her as Maggie from then on.
Following his military service, he was hired by the newly formed San Francisco 49ers Football Club as a special assistant. "I got the job because I could type and take shorthand," he liked to say in his typically understated and modest way. But he did much more for the new team and in the early years Lou was asked by the owners of the team, Tony and Vic Morabito, to become an owner/ partner. After the deaths of the Morabito brothers, Lou became the team President and General Manager. He retired from the 49ers in 1977 upon the team's sale to the DeBartolo Family.
After his retirement, Lou remained active in Bay Area sports. He felt that a Hall of Fame, reminding and educating the public of the rich sports heritage of the Bay Area should also serve a higher purpose of raising money to fund youth sports in the Bay Area. So in 1979, Lou along with Bill Dauer founded the San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (BASOF). It was his way of giving back to the community that was his home. In 1999, Lou was honored by being inducted to BASOF himself.
In 1997, in honor of Spadia's contribution to youth sports in San Francisco, the clubhouse on the Jackson Playground where Lou grew up was renamed the Lou Spadia Clubhouse. The day the plaque was placed, August 30, 1997 was declared Lou Spadia Day in San Francisco.
Apart from sports, Lou led a rich life filled with lifelong friends, new friends and various pursuits. He was a talented musician, an avid gardener and an incredible gourmet cook. He took up swimming later in life and continued a daily rigorous physical workout schedule even after suffering a stroke in October of 2012.
The family would like to express their deepest gratitude and thanks to the staff of The Sequoia's of San Francisco and Home Instead Senior Care. Also the family would like to extend their gratitude to his dedicated physicians, Peter J. Curran and Maria Samsonov.
Lou was preceded in death by his beloved wife Maggie. He is survived by his four devoted children Lou Jr., Kate, Doss and Louise (Bryan Beckham); grandchildren Peter Spadia (Jill), Michelle Spadia, Matthew Spadia, Madeline Martin, Danielle Martin, Maggie Beckham, Annie Beckham and great-grandchildren, Ryan and Hailey Spadia.
Friends are invited to attend a Funeral Mass on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 at 10:30AM at St. Pius Church, 1100 Woodside Rd, Redwood City, CA 94061.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the San Francisco Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and The Sloan Kettering Foundation.