Ferdinando (Ferdi) Coia (19 Aug 1928 - 26 Mar 2016)

Coia Ferdinando (Ferdi)
Peacefully,at home, surrounded by his loving family on Saturday 26th March 2016
Ferdi (retired Director of Scottish Television) beloved husband of the late Jean, much loved dad of Gerard, Paul, Denise and Martin, adored Nonno of Nicola, Gabriella, Desmond, Annalie, Lio and Luisa, and father in-law to Jacqui, Debbie, Lynne and Desi.
Fortified by Rites of Holy Church, R.I.P. Reception and Vigil at St Vincent De Paul Church, Thornliebank on Friday 1st April at 6.30pm. Funeral Mass on Saturday 2nd April at 10am, thereafter to St Conval’s Cemetery Barrhead. Family flowers only please. Donations if desired can be made to Marie Curie.

COIA Ferdi Gerard, Paul, Denise, Martin and families, thank all relatives, friends and neighbours most sincerely, for their attendance at dad’s funeral service, and for the many Mass cards and messages of sympathy. Thanks to Fr Hill and Fr Doherty for the celebration of Requiem Mass and to the organist, cantors and choir. To the Parishioners of St Vincent de Paul Church, Thornliebank, for their support and to the staff of Ward 6A and Palliative Care Team at The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow, to Doctors Quigley and Canning and particularly the District Nurses at Thornliebank Health Centre, and to Marie Curie for their care for dad. Thanks to Dominic Maguire, of Anderson Maguire Funeral Directors, for excellent and caring funeral arrangements. Holy Mass will be offered for the intentions of all.

FERDI COIA
Television executive and company director. An appreciation.
The Herald, April 1st 2016
Born: August 19, 1928;
Died: March 26, 2016

ANYONE who remembers the Bank Cafe in Thornliebank Glasgow, a busy meeting place from the 1930s until the late 1950s, will know where Ferdi Coia was raised – above the cafe full of sweets, ice cream and more.

Ferdi, who has died aged 87, was the son of Ernesto and Filomena (nee Cocozza) Coia. Sadly, Ernesto died early in Ferdi’s childhood. However, some years later Filomena married another Ernesto, Ernesto Togneri. Ferdi always retained his birth name, Coia but his stepfather proved to be a loving, positive, and lasting influence in his life, dying in his late 90s.

Ferdi followed school in Barrhead with a BSc from Glasgow University, which led to food analysis, and then to something he found more interesting: computers with IBM. Living close by was Jane Lockhart, who was always known as Jean. Jean worked in insurance and Ferdi frequently waited at the bus stop to meet her returning from work. There was no escape. Marriage was the only possible outcome. They married in May 1954 and set up their first home in Giffnock and in June 1955 they welcomed the arrival of twins, Paul and Gerard.

In 1957 Ferdi joined the new Scottish Independent Television franchise, Scottish Television, as a trainee lighting director. At that time television production was on a very steep learning curve as STV was scheduled to go on air in August 1958. November 1958 also marked with the arrival of the twins Denise and Martin - the house was becoming crowded.

After serving as a senior lighting director, he moved on to become head of presentation and then director of facilities. He proved to be a shrewd and decisive planner and was scrupulously fair. At this point, he was elected to the board of directors, serving with distinction until his retirement.

Supporting his local church was always one of his priorities, and his 50-year membership of the Catenians, a Catholic businessmen’s group, was due to be marked with a certificate the day he died.

I joined STV in the spring of 1958, having met Ferdi when I was in Glasgow on tour in 1957. We were to become firm friends and he became my best man. Everything he did he did with care, integrity and dedication. He applied the old dictum "look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves" to most plans and problems. He knew that if the detail was ok the big picture was likely to be trouble free. We served together on the committee of the Royal Television Society in Scotland, he as treasurer when I was chairman.

We curled and played much golf and shortly after retiring, Hilary and I enjoyed touring holidays in the USA, Canada and Italy with Jean and Ferdi and Vilma and Ron Franchetti. On our long journeys, Jean and Ferdi would sing duets from Maid of the Mountains and The Merry Widow and Ferdi sang all the verses of the Monty Python song I'm a Lumberjack.

His dear, much loved wife Jean died in 2015, which was a great blow to Ferdi. A few days before his death, Hilary and I received his usual wedding anniversary card – in 48 years, he never missed one – and in his distinctive but weaker hand, he wrote "Happiness always, with love. The best man, or should it be Better Man? Ferdi."

Ferdinando Coia was a true friend and family man. He was the better man. He will be missed.

He is survived by his children Gerard, Paul, Denise, Martin and grandchildren Nicola, Gabriella, Desmond, Annalie, Lio and Luisa.

FERDINANDO COIA
Executive with Scottish Television
The Scotsman, April 6th 2016

Born: 19 August, 1928 in Glasgow. Died: 26 March, 2016 in Glasgow, aged 87.

In 1957 Ferdinando Coia (always known as Ferdi) joined the new and exciting Scottish Television as a trainee lighting designer. STV had been founded as an independent television company by Roy Thomson (then also owner of The Scotsman) and enjoyed a considerable success when it first transmitted programmes in August 1958.

Thomson assured viewers that STV would, “provide first-class entertainment and as much cultural programming as possible as well as allowing Scottish talent every opportunity to develop and be seen on STV.”

Coia’s career with the company reflected its expansion and over the next few decades he rose to various senior positions within the company and became a prominent member of the board of directors. His skills in man-management and ability to see through projects ensured that Coia was much respected throughout STV.

Coia was the son of Ernesto and Filomena Coia. His father died when he was a child and his mother remarried some years later (who was also called Ernesto). He was brought up in a happy family and formed a strong bond with his step father. The family lived in the Thornliebank district of Glasgow where Coia attended school in Barrhead and after Glasgow University he joined IBM – the pioneer American company in computers.
On joining STV – Coia mostly worked from its headquarters at the former Theatre Royal, Glasgow which had become the station’s principal studios and administrative headquarters. Coia also worked in the STV studios in Edinburgh – the former Gateway Theatre in Leith Walk. He progressed through the various departments of STV showing a firm grasp of both the technological and production side of the business. He served as a distinguished senior lighting director before being promoted to the prestigious posts of head of presentation and then director of facilities. Coia worked on a wide variety of programmes – both in the studio and in the back offices overseeing the expansion of the station’s activities.

He served on a board of directors that included many leading figures in the business community in Scotland, including Sir Campbell Fraser, Sir Kenneth Alexander, Mrs Dorothy Dunnett and Gavin Laird. The director of programmes was the campaigning journalist Gus Macdonald. Coia also served as treasurer and on the committee of the Royal Television Society in Scotland.

Coia’s ability to plan programmes well ahead of transmission and sort out administrative problems weeks before going into the studio greatly facilitated recordings of many programmes. His eye for detail ensured that programme schedules were invariably practical and efficient.

Coia was an eminent figure in the Italian community in Glasgow, a devout Roman Catholic and supporter of St Vincent De Paul Church, Thornliebank. He was an enthusiastic supporter for over 50 years of the Catenians, a Catholic businessmen’s group with international connections. Coia often attended the Glasgow Circle’s monthly meetings and his work on behalf of the association was due to have been marked with a special certificate which was to have been presented to him on the day he died.

In his retirement Coia remained active – he much enjoyed travelling and was a keen golfer and curler. He also much delighted in singing and he and Jean often entertained friends with duets from musicals and light opera.

Ferdi and Jean Coia had twins, one of whom followed his father into the television business. Paul has enjoyed a distinguished career in the media and hosted programmes on Grampian TV, BBC1, Chanel 4 and on STV - his Meet Paul Coia chat show proved very popular with the public. His father was particularly proud when Paul was made the Scottish Radio Personality of the Year.

Ferdi married Jean Lochart in May 1954. She predeceased him and he is survived by their children Gerard, Paul, Denise and Martin.