Bill Voves, the retired Glenbard South softball coach who built a 522-271 record across 27 seasons at the Glen Ellyn school, died Oct. 18 at age 77.
Voves, born June 25, 1949, had suffered health problems for decades, the Daily Herald reported. His death still hit colleagues hard.
"He wasn't just a colleague, he was a friend," Andy Preuss, the former Raiders hall of fame track and cross country coach, told the Daily Herald. Preuss met Voves at Glenbard South in 1980, five years after Voves arrived at the school.
Voves also served as a business teacher. His softball teams posted only three sub-.500 seasons between 1979 and 2005, none after 1992. The Illinois Coaches Association inducted him into its Softball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Julie Fonda, one of Voves' star players, is now in her 21st year coaching the Raiders softball program. She joined Voves in the hall of fame in 2022. Fonda is also an assistant athletic director at Glenbard South.
Voves coached Fonda as a volleyball assistant, announced her basketball games and walked her out to the shortstop position as a freshman. She played four years at the spot.
"He empowered women before it was even a thing. He had that feeling about him that gave you the thought that you could do anything," Fonda told the Daily Herald.
A Chicago South Side native, Voves was a White Sox fan, a movie buff, a bibliophile, a stock trader and an Army Reservist. He was an early advocate for girls sports at Glenbard South, the Daily Herald reported.
Preuss said Voves was the kind of person who made Glenbard South special, describing their bond as more than a professional relationship. The two played recreational volleyball together and joined fantasy sports leagues. Their wives were friends.
Preuss said he learned of Voves' death from Voves' wife, Pam. He recalled his old friend with a smile.
"Every time I think about him I laugh," Preuss told the Daily Herald.
