Western Springs Tennis Official Dies Unexpectedly

WESTERN SPRINGS, IL – A man long associated with the village of Western Springs' tennis program has died, the village announced Wednesday.

Simon Piacente worked for the tennis program since 2009. In 2020, he became its director. That was after the controversial ouster of Dave Evans, who led the program for more than 35 years.

Piacente was credited with creating "Coach Simon's Adult Tennis Drills" and continued to grow the tennis programs, the village said in a news release.

Piacente, who was 50, taught lessons three nights a week and on Saturday mornings.

He also took the reins of the youth tennis program and was heavily involved in planning for the new tennis courts at Spring Rock Park, the village said.

"When players had issues of noise coming from other areas of the park interfering with their tennis experience, he led the charge for a sound curtain to be installed on the south side of the courts," the village said in the news release. "He also spearheaded a fundraising campaign to see the project through to completion."

The village continued, "Simon’s unexpected passing leaves a huge hole in the tennis community in Western Springs and beyond."