John Amarant

1936 - 2023

John Amarant
October 25, 1936 - July 14, 2023
John Amarant was born October 25, 1936 in Turlock to Anna and Antone Amarant, Azorean immigrants. He passed July 14, 2023 in his Sacramento home, surrounded by family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his siblings, Carl, Albert, Patrick, Bernice (Borges), and Frances (Knudson) and nephew Ricky. Survived by heartbroken nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends-too numerous to list.
John's niece, Kandace, and her wife, Sherry, and their multiple pets were grateful to be able to live next door to him for the last 7 years. He loved to meet his friends in various social circles for planned monthly dinners and lunches in Sacramento, Vallejo, and San Francisco-some stretching across three decades-leaving countless friends saddened by his loss.
He described his own life for his 65th high school class reunion:
Born October 25, 1936 in Turlock, California to parents who migrated from Beira on the island of St. George in the Azores. I had a total of 5 siblings. Lived on a dairy farm in Delhi, California until I was six years old. Mom and Dad separated and in 1942 Mom moved to Vallejo, California bringing me with an older brother and sister and my younger sister. I had attended the first grade in Dehli, so I started the second grade in Vallejo at Flosden Elementary School. Went through Vallejo Middle School, Vallejo High School, Vallejo Junior College and Sacramento State College.
In 1960 while living in Sacramento, I was drafted into the US Army and did Basic Training at Ford Ord, CA and Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Lee, VA, where I went to Ordinance/Supply School. After AIT I was assigned to an Army Battalion in Berlin (Second battle Group 6th Infantry), Germany where our main purpose was to guard Spandau Prison where a WWII war criminal was being held. I enjoyed my military life and was very fortunate that I was not involved in combat. One interesting note that while I was in Berlin, the army unit I was assigned to was the first unit to defend the Berlin Wall. I made several trips to Check Point Charlie. During my three years in Berlin, I took advantage of my free time and traveled all around Europe and the surrounding countries.
In May 1963 I was discharged from military duty and returned to Vallejo. Worked on the accounting staff at Gasser Motors in Napa for a couple of years then decided to move to San Francisco. In 1966 I started work for Hewlett Packard Company in Palo Alto as an accounting manager. After 25 years with HP I retired. During my years with HP I lived in San Francisco, Menlo Park and Aptos. While living in Aptos I purchased two Subway Sandwich franchises, one in Prunedale and the other in King City. After four years, I decided to sell them and enjoy living in Aptos. After a year I missed the work world and decided to go back to work. In 1997 I secured employment in the finance department with a private school in Monterey, CA. In 1999 that school moved the headquarters to Sandpoint, ID. I was promoted to Controller and spent the next five years living in Sandpoint, ID and Spokane, WA. In 2004 I retired again and returned to California. My return brought me back to family and friends. Settled in San Francisco for eight years where I went back into the accounting work for five clients. In 2012 I moved to Sacramento to be closer to family. I still have my five clients to occupy my time and keep my mind active.
Family and friends will gather for a celebration of life on Thursday, August 3rd at 11 at Tulocay Cemetery in Napa. Donations to your local SPCA in John's name are encouraged.