Luis Enrique Diaz's Obituary
Luis E Diaz passed away on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Delaware Hospice in Milford, Delaware, less than a month before celebrating his 81st birthday.
Luis was born in Ponce Puerto Rico and moved to Rockaway Beach, New York with his mother and siblings, where he later graduated from Far Rockaway High School and then served in the U.S. Army. After serving his country for 6 years, Luis met his loving wife Evelyn and her 3 children.
Throughout his years in New York, Luis was very active playing softball, paddleball, and shooting pool. He was a scoutmaster for Troop 121 in Rockaway, New York helping his son, Tim, and his friends learn important lessons and life skills with many jokes along the way. Luis loved the beach and would spend some evenings combing for treasures with his metal detector without any luck. Luis’ passion for cars trickled over into the ownership of many fixer-uppers, and learning opportunities for Tim, Al, and Vic. Some cars made it to their destination, others were more on a one-way travel plan. For many years, Luis and Evelyn hosted numerous holiday gatherings and enjoyed the love and laughter of children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews playing in the gymnasium and the back yard. He loved spending summers with his grandsons fishing on the bay and combing for seashells on the beach to later paint and decorate. On many occasions, his home away from home for he and Evelyn was Atlantic City to play slot machines and enjoy many concerts and events. His work ethic led him to be a building superintendent in Brooklyn, New York and then 35 years as a facility manager at West End Temple in Neponsit, NY until his retirement age of 78.
After his retirement, Luis moved to Bridgeville, Delaware with his daughter Diana and son-in-law Roger where he was introduced to pickle ball, bocce, shuffleboard, and corn hole. During his final year, he came to appreciate the calmness of putting golf balls, as he was unable to play a full game on the course. Throughout his life, Luis dabbled with creativity by painting on canvas and giving his paintings silly names and strumming his guitar in the evenings. He loved attending game nights, trivia nights, and any opportunity to listen to music or dance and share laughs with his close-knit neighbors. For his 80th birthday, his final wish came true when he went to Vegas to play “real slots with the big boys” and see Blue Man Group, Penn & Teller, and Cirque Du Soleil. He and his daughter Diana loved spending evenings outside star gazing and enjoying the sounds of nature. He never missed an opportunity to talk about cars or go to car shows with his son-in-law Roger.
No matter where in life, he lit up every room with his infectious smile. He always maintained a positive and optimistic outlook at life and was everyone’s biggest fan.
Luis’ funny and loving legacy will live on through Diana & Roger, Anthony & Danielle, and Sydney, Zachary & Kelly, Jordan, Timothy & Heather, Lucas, Dylan, Allan & Cathy, Allie, Little Al, Christopher, Victor & Melissa, Veronica, Jessica, Victor III.
Luis will be interred at Calverton National Cemetery in Wading River, New York.
In lieu of flowers, Luis and his family would love for everyone to share his caring spirit by doing one random act of kindness for 30 days.
What’s your fondest memory of Luis?
What’s a lesson you learned from Luis?
Share a story where Luis' kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Luis you’ll never forget.
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