August James Amorena

Augustine (Augie) James Amorena

October 1, 1931 - December 21, 2023

Sacramento, California - ONE OF THE GOOD ONES HAS GONE, YET HIS LOVE AND CARING PRESENCE REMAINS

Augustine James (Augie) Amorena was born October 1, 1931 and passed December 21, 2023 both in Sacramento, the in-between held many adventures. Augie was born to Augustine and Emilia Amorena immigrants from Spain. Augie was preceded in death by parents, brother Manual Leon, son David, and recently daughter Karie Amorena-Sutton (2023). Augie is survived by his wife Sally Lea Amorena.

Augie graduated from Sacramento High at the young age of 16 and went to Sacramento Junior College and Sac State playing baseball at each school. Augie became a Life member of Sacramento State Alumni.

Augie's love for baseball stayed throughout his life and contributed greatly to his character and success as a husband, father, teacher and friend to many people.

As a baseball player, Augie was known as a "sweet swinging" left-handed first baseman who hit for power and average." At Sacramento High he was a member of the 1948 Sac Joaquin Conference championship team. The next season he batted .300 at Sacramento Junior College and was still young enough to attend the Bee-KFBK Baseball School and was selected for its All-Star squad. From 1949 to 1952, while still in school, he played in the Winter and County Leagues and hit over .300 in six of seven seasons, including a .467 average for the Julius club in 1952 which was the top mark in the National Division. He followed that up with a .333 average at Sacramento State in 1952 and entered professional ball that summer as he signed with the San Francisco Seals.

With the Seals, Augie continued to prove himself as an outstanding first baseman and a consistent batter of over .300. In 1954 he advanced to the Class A Edmonton, Canada Eskimos of the Western International League and batted .323. Where his wife Sally joined him.

His advancement in the professional ranks was interrupted for the next two years due to military service, Army. Although he batted .375 in semi-pro ball for the Army in Honolulu, he came back to only one more season in the pros, 1957, and hit a combined .251 for two clubs in the Red Sox organization.

In 1958 Augie returned to Sacramento to further his education at Sacramento State College and played seven more seasons in the Winter League, hitting over .300 five times and twice over .400. For all his success, Augie was inducted to the LaSalle Club Hall of fame in 1997 as a player and again inducted as a coach in 2009.

At Sac State Augie achieved his Masters in Math and his administrative credential and began teaching math and coaching baseball at Campus Verdes, Don Julio, Highlands High School and Foothill where he ended his career as Vice Principal in 1991.

In his retirement years he and his wife Sally of 70 years traveled the globe. Experiencing meeting new friends and enjoying the beauty of the world. Augie will be missed by so many who knew and loved him. When asked to describe Augie a sample of the responses were:

kind and generous, devoted, loving, caring, dependable, spry, trustworthy, fun loving, good sense of humor, a good listener, dependable, loyal, selfless, honorable, fair, understanding, honest and faithful, genuine, true gentleman, always happy, a great soul, humble, large heart and FORGIVING.

There will be an empty chair in our home and in our hearts, a void forever.