Competitor did well in sports
in the days of Waipahu sugar

Ricardo L. "Kadong" Oamilda / Amateur athlete

SEE ALSO: OBITUARIES

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By Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.com

Ricardo L. "Kadong" Oamilda was one of the amateur athletes immortalized on a plaque at Hans L'Orange Park as part of the history of Waipahu.

He was remembered as one of the most versatile athletes of those early and mid-20th century days when Oahu Sugar Co. was not only the workplace for waves of immigrant workers, but also provided a structure for competition in baseball, boxing, swimming and other sports.

Oamilda died June 14 at the age of 85. He retired in 1980 after 48 years with the sugar plantation.

"Rick was a terrific ballplayer; he was first baseman. And he was a boxer and a runner," said his contemporary and former teammate Fred Daguman. "There was no more television then. We had all kind games. He was a happy-go-lucky guy."

Oamilda was one of the storytellers for a 1999 tribute to Hans L'Orange, a former plantation manager whose legacy is the park that is still the recreational center of the town.

Oamilda was born in Carcar, Cebu City, the Philippines. He is survived by sons Gene, Glenn, Gary, Gordon and Guy; daughters Gwen and Georgette Montibon and Gretchen Dayanan; sister Esidra Oamilda; 16 grandchildren; and 15 great-grandchildren. Also surviving are hanai children Ray and Ronnie Desmet, Ray and Rose Ramos.

A funeral Mass will be said at 9:45 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph Church, Waipahu. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Mililani Mortuary, where a 7 p.m. wake service will be held, and after 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the church. The family suggests aloha attire.