Kay Azar, beloved former tennis coach and teacher at Audubon dies at 80

Kay Ann Azar, one of the pioneers of the South Jersey Tennis Coaches Association and beloved tennis coach at Audubon Junior-Senior High School, died on May 7 following a stroke. She was 80.

Last September, Audubon High officially renamed the school’s tennis courts in honor of Azar with a permanent sign that reads “Kay Azar Tennis Courts.”

Azar taught health and physical education for 43 years at Audubon and coached tennis for close to four decades. She led the varsity program to 385 wins, which included three South Jersey titles (1980, 1981 and 1994) and a state runner-up finish in 1981.

Outside of her first season, Azar guided the Green Wave to winning seasons every season during her tenure.

Azar was one of the founding members of the South Jersey Tennis Coaches Association, producing the by-laws, and led the scholarship committee.

Azar was cherished throughout the South Jersey tennis community.

“Kay was a great friend, mentor and role model for me during the years we coached tennis together in the Colonial Conference,” Haddonfield tennis coach Jeff Holman said in a tribute on the Schetter Funeral Home website.

“I will always remember and appreciate her many kind words to me over the years, her encouragement and support as I pursued a career in coaching, her warmth and sensitivity, her enlightened leadership and her concern for all of the players as well as the coaches in South Jersey.

“It was a tremendous honor and privilege for me to be associated with exemplary professional such as Kay, and I ceaselessly strive to attain the standards of sportsmanship and overall excellence that Kay personified. Kay was unparalleled in class, dignity and integrity.”

In the classroom, Azar helped to start an adaptive physical education program at the school for students with physical or developmental disabilities. She taught the initial class and continued with the program until her retirement.

Off the court, Azar made an even bigger impact with her volunteer work. She organized parties and dances for senior citizens each spring at the high school and each Christmas at Audubon Towers for 35 years. She also ran retirement dinners at the high school for two decades.

Her family said Azar loved to garden, laugh, dance with her students, embrace and love her family and friends.

Kathy and Jack Kinner, close friends and former colleagues at Audubon, both spoke at Azar’s funeral on Monday.

“Kay would stop her world if her children, grandchildren, or friends needed her. She was dedicated to physical activity and was always making new friends. She reminded us that laughter is key to a good day,” Kathy Kinner said.

Jack Kinner added, “Kay was the glue that held our faculty together. First and foremost, she was a teacher, not only in the classroom but also in the way she lived her life.”

Azar remained close with many of her former players, including Kathy Craig, who also spoke at Monday’s funeral.

“Mrs. Azar got us all dancing at our practices or games before we got down to work," Craig said. "Nothing was ever too much trouble for her. … She was our second mom. We were better people just by knowing her.”

Azar was a 1971 graduate of East Stroudsburg University.

She married the late George Azar in 1963 and is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Robyn and Stephen Iannarelli; her son and daughter-in-law Todd and Heidi Azar; six grandchildren: Andrew, Zach, Ryan, Jake, Kyle and Hannah, along with a brother, Bob Forrest.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Former Audubon tennis coach, teacher Kay Azar dies at 80