Amparo H Ortiz

Amparo Ortiz, a San Antonio icon, and local celebrity, passed away on August 4th, 2025. She was born on August 1, 1944, in Armenia, Colombia as Maria Amparo Hurtado to parents Jorge Hurtado Camacho and Soledad Trujillo Ramirez. Amparo was one of the eldest of ten kids and had dreams and aspirations to come to America and pursue her version of the American Dream.

After graduating high school in Armenia, she attended a local college where she graduated and then moved to Bogota, Colombia where she studied Business Administration at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. She started making her way to America and arrived in Saltillo, Mexico where she studied English and the Arts. She eventually landed in San Antonio where she studied at Our Lady of the Lake University. Soon thereafter, she was introduced to Lorenzo Ortiz, who would later become her husband for over fifty years. Together they had three children – Edward, Mark and Stephanie and she was the proud grandmother to Kayla. Amparo was a devout Catholic and attended St Marks Catholic Church for decades, sitting in the first few pews every single Sunday. Her faith in God influenced how she conducted herself, impacted her priorities in life and affected how she would become a pillar to the San Antonio community and beyond. To be loved by her was transformative. The way in which she championed for others was astonishing to witness. She was caring, generous, dependable, assertive, vivacious and would light up any room she entered.

Her professional career in radio and TV began at a local radio station in San Antonio called KSAH Radio Festival where she served as the Community Relations Director. After spending some time there and working at the Mexican Cultural Institute, she got a job at Univsion KWEX-TV in San Antonio. She was ambitious and flourished as the Promotions Manager and Community Affairs Director. She created and produced her talk show, “Desde San Antonio” that was broadcast for many years. Her show started as a local one where she interviewed prominent local leaders, but it soon became a show that garnered interest from some celebrities as well. She interviewed people like Robert Rodriguez, Juanes, Vikki Carr, Salma Hayek, Oscar de la Renta, and Vicente Fernandez to name a few. She was passionate about education and created a segment of her show called “Student of the Week” that would spotlight a stellar student in San Antonio. She cared deeply about empowering and uplifting those around her.

She was exceptionally community service oriented and volunteered for many organizations that she believed in. She has stated that one of her proudest accomplishments in America was insisting that any Presidential speeches were broadcast on Spanish TV with simultaneous translations, enabling Spanish-speaking audiences to stay informed with politics. She placed a few calls to people in Washington DC, including Representative Esteban Torres and she used her tenacity to make this change happen – making an impact in political awareness for Spanish speakers in America. Amparo was a person that could get things done.

Amparo was inducted into the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 1992 for Communications. Throughout her career, she won numerous awards and was recognized for her work and efforts. Some notable ones are - the Small Business Journalist Advocate of the Year from Governor Rick Perry, she was named a Super Texan by Secretary of State Jack M Rains, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Community Involvement from Nissan, the Media Award from the SA Council of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year from the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Media Appreciation Award from the Southwest TX chapter of the Leukemia Society of America, the Star Media Award from Bexar County, the Distinguished Service Award from the Texas Special Olympics, a Media Award from the La Prensa Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility Award from MALDEF, and she was recognized by Anheuser-Busch for her contributions to education and Hispanic Culture.

She served on countless boards and committees and was a member of various institutions including the Children’s Defense Fund, the San Antonio Performing Arts Association, the San Antonio Teen Pregnancy Prevention Center, Respite Care of SA, the Battered Women’s Shelter, Girl Scouts of America, San Antonio Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Communities in School, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, Avance, and was a donor to Texas A&M San Antonio.

Amparo exuded elegance, service, love and class. She will be missed dearly by those who loved her. She is survived by her children – Edward, Mark, Stephanie and her wife Holly; her granddaughter Kayla and her husband Sean; her brothers - Gilberto and wife Marta Eugenia, Gustavo and his wife Josephine, Jorge Enrique; her sisters - Marien, Betty, Nydia, Lucila, Elvia and husband Alberto and many adored nieces and nephews.

A memorial mass for Amparo will be held Friday, August 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM at St Mark The Evangelist Catholic Church, 1602 Thousand Oaks Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78232.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to any of the following – Children’s Defense Fund, San Antonio Animal Care Services, or any organization or nonprofit helping children or women battling abuse.

Please also consider donating classroom items to this Special Ed teacher, as Amparo was a huge supporter of educators - https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/ZHKLSW3O8O2G?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_K22R48MCTWHBMQAWW83A&language=en-US