Long time local civic and business leader, Eddie Diaz, outside his Diaz Farms outlet in Deming, NM.

Our original business supporter and long time personal FASF Member, Eddie Diaz, of Deming, New Mexico, left on his final flight, Friday the 26th of July, this past week.

Eddie was born in Deming, NM, on December 18, 1958.  He graduated from Deming High School before taking over Diaz Farms, which he owned and operated until his untimely death last week.  Eddie was also and active civic leader, and served many terms as the Assistant Secretary-Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the large SW New Mexico and SE Arizona Columbus Electric public Utility.

Mr. Diaz is survived by his wife of  36 years, Guillermina, his son, Eddie, Jr. three daughters; Maggie Diaz-Romero, Cecilia and Cristina, four brothers, Javier (also a FASF Business Member), Armando, Samuel and Carlos; two sisters: Elia Holguin and Rosie Chancellor; two grandsons; Noah and Nickolas Romero; and his parents, Ruben and Antonia Diaz, also of Deming.

Eddie’s memorial service at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Deming was attended by several thousand friends and admirers, whose vehicles lined the streets in all directions, with standing room only in the church, which left many unable to even get inside to attend the service.

This extraordinarily large following bore testimony to his remarkable personality. Your webmaster had the honor and privilege of knowing Eddie for some 20 years and cannot remember a time when he didn’t see Eddie smiling and spreading his uplifting enthusiasm to one and all who knew or simply had the pleasure of meeting him.

It is genuinely difficult to even imagine that this vital and loving character has moved on, that he is no longer among us, except insofar as his energetic and upbeat spirit will never leave those who were blessed enough to have known him.

Eddie had a deep personal interest in his local environs and his roots in the rich history of the area, so he quickly took the first opportunity he found to help the FASF become better-established as an exponent of the exciting history it was organized to help perpetuate.  The minute he obtained his FASF Decal, he quickly and proudly had it mounted on his business’s front entry door where it remains to this day.