Lia, William F.
GUILDERLAND
— William F. Lia, 85, passed away on Saturday, November 13, 2021. On that day, the world lost an amazing man who impacted so many people’s lives.
William, known by all who loved him as Bill or Billy, was born and raised in Brooklyn. He was the son of the late Mary and Rocco Lia. He and his twin sister were the last born of 11 children. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by all of his siblings.
After serving his country as a young man in United States Army, Bill worked as a coat-cutter in New York City’s Garment District. It was during this time that Bill developed his strong work ethic which would serve him well later in life. In addition to his 9-5 job in the factory, he went on to start his first business selling coats and jackets on weekends at flea markets in Brooklyn.
In 1978, at the age of 42, Bill took a huge risk. He invested his life savings and moved his family to upstate New York to begin what would be a lifelong career in the automotive industry. Starting as a partner in a small Honda dealership in Delmar, with only a middle school education and no formal training, Bill, over the next 40 plus years, turned a small, family-owned dealership into a billion dollar company, employing over 1,500 people, and spanning 22 locations across New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Up until his last few months, he could be found at his desk, still working, still asking questions, still striving to make things better for all around him.
Bill had only a few true passions in life, spending time with his family, his work, and the occasional trip to the casino or racetrack in Saratoga Springs. In his earlier years, he often enjoyed traveling with family, friends, and business associates. He was fortunate to have experienced many amazing places in the world and was especially fond of his family’s annual trips with all of his children and grandchildren to Disney and the Bahamas.
Bill was happiest when surrounded by his family, which was quite often. He was a loving husband to Linda (Pitruzzella) Lia. The love they shared was obvious to everyone, and set an incredible example of what marriage is all about. Linda was the love of his life, they were married nearly 55 years. He had much to be proud of in his life, but was most proud of his family. He was a devoted father and an incredia ble Papa to his fifteen grandchildren.
Bill is survived by his wife Linda; children, Michael Lia (Susanna), Bill Lia (Miranda), Deborah Simeone (Ralph), and Vincent Lia (Ann); and grandchildren, Brianna Lia, Vincent Simeone, Michael Lia Jr., Ralphy Simeone, Mariana Lia, Alexa Lia, Antonio Lia, Marissa Simeone, Vincent Lia, Billy Lia, Ava Lia, Luca Simeone, Carissa Lia, Anthony Lia, and Roman Lia.
Bill always put others first and was an extremely generous person. His giving spirit extended to the communities he resided and worked in, as evidenced by the countless charitable organizations that Bill supported over the years.
His legacy will carry on and his life will be celebrated. All are welcome to attend a funeral Mass to be held in Christ the King Church, 20 Sumter Ave., Albany on Monday, November 22, at 12 p.m. Entombment will follow in The Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, Niskayuna. The Mass will be live-streamed on the parish website, ctkparishny.org.
Family, friends and Lia employees are invited to a celebration of life event after the services at 3:30 p.m. Please pre-register here: https:// billliasrcelebration. eventbrite.com.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Bill Lia Sr. to the Melodies Center for Childhood Cancer & Blood Disorders at Albany Med - c/o Albany Med Foundation, 43 New Scotland Ave., MC 119, Albany, NY, 12208 or by visiting: https://community.amc. edu/melodies.
To leave a special message for the family, visit www. Newcomeralbany.com