William Robertson Hanckel II, beloved son, brother, uncle, coach, teammate, and friend died unexpectedly on Friday, October 18, 2019, at the age of 50.

Bill was born on August 6, 1969, in Norfolk, VA to Allan Robertson and Jane Harden Hanckel. Bill graduated from Norfolk Academy in 1988 and Elon University in 1992. Bill excelled at athletics, playing soccer, swimming, and track at Norfolk Academy. He went on to play varsity soccer at Elon and was a proud member of Sigma Pi fraternity.

After college, Bill worked as a trainer for Applebee’s restaurants for several years before turning his lifetime passion for soccer into a career. He moved to Raleigh, NC in 1999 to open the first of his two soccer stores and began coaching youth soccer as well as playing in adult leagues. From 2010-2017, he held the position of Tournament Director for North Carolina FC Youth. Most recently, he was an Account Manager for Yard-Nique, a regional landscaping company in the Southeast. Bill loved coaching and playing soccer, and dedicated himself to elevating the sport in the Triangle area. In 2017, he received the North Carolina Adult Soccer Association’s Crampton Harrison Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the growth of adult soccer in North Carolina. At the time of his death, Bill was an 18-year North Carolina FC Youth Classic coach, 9-year president of Triangle Adult Soccer League, and a teammate on several adult soccer teams.

When not eating and breathing soccer, Bill also enjoyed mountain biking, skiing, and annual trips to Camp Greenbrier, WV for Family Camp. Additionally, he was very much involved in the lives of his beloved niece and nephew. He was a staunch supporter of the Redskins, Yankees, UVA, and, of course, Manchester United.

Bill was generous with his love, his talents, his energy, his wit, and his joyful spirit. Someone once said of him, “It is so rare to meet a person about whom you can honestly say that every person who knew him liked him.” That was our Bill. We miss him so.

Bill was preceded in death by his father, Allan Robertson Hanckel. He is survived by his mother, Jane; his brother and sister-in-law, Carter and Susan Hanckel and their children, Addison and Holden; his brother and sister-in-law, Rob and Connie Hanckel and their children, Robby and Jay; his aunt, Gail Bolliger and her children, Jay, Mike, and Craig Fite.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of Bill to North Carolina FC Youth financial aid fund. Following the visitation friends are encouraged to gather to continue the celebration at Trali Irish Pub, 3107 Grace Park Dr, Morrisville, NC 27560, https://www.traliirishpub.com/ in Morrisville from 7:00 p.m. - whenever