Yesterday, I had the honor of attending Victor Zanotti’s celebration of life at Shenaniganz in Rockwall, Texas.
Victor, only 44 years young, died in his sleep this week. It’s really hard to understand how that’s even possible. What I saw last night is that his legacy of service, the passion he had for teaching and training others, and the unwavering standards he demanded from his team lives on in the people he has touched.
Victor has been a guiding hand at Shenaniganz since opening day. This superstar location is owned by 3 amazing young men who are brothers. I believe they considered Victor part of the family as well. Family was an important part of Victor’s life, and being dad to 5 year old Sydney gave big, tough Victor this human side because his princess ruled his world.
Shenaniganz closed the center to the public so that they, as a team, could privately celebrate Victor’s life. When I drove up I was not surprised that the parking lot was full. It was quite a celebration. One story after another was filled with laughter and love. It is obvious that Victor was no pushover (except with his daughter); however his tough side helped the team he served perform at a very high level.
I’ve been in many, many centers across North America, and I am confident that this team has been groomed to honor Victor with his legacy of service at the highest level. I looked into the faces of the young people that Victor has mentored, coached, encouraged, and demanded performance of, and I saw love, admiration, and appreciation.
As one young person after another emotionally expressed how important Victor’s leadership has been in their life, I could not stop thinking about whether or not he had any clue as to the difference he was making in the world. You see, he didn’t just touch those who worked with him– because what happens is that his influence will continue to multiply when those he touched influence others.
I think it is important to tell those mentors, coaches, parents, bosses, and other leaders in your life what a difference they make. Tell them today so they know. I sure hope Victor understood his big place in the world. I believe that he would have enjoyed the evening. You could hear him in the music that was played. The laughter and the tears were warm and knowing. Victor has left his fingerprints in every corner of the building. It was an honor to know Victor Zanotti. He is going to be missed, but his legacy will forever be a part of Shenaniganz.
