Porfirio Ronald Diaz

It is with much love and admiration that we celebrate the life of Porfirio Ronald Diaz.  He was born June 27, 1950 in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and peacefully passed away surrounded by family on March 22, 2021 in his home in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. He is survived by his wife, Maria, two daughters, Suzana (husband Michael) and Andrea (husband Paul), grandson Michael, and granddaughter Susana.

Porfirio lived a fulfilling life, having lived in many different parts of the world including Japan, Chile, Afghanistan, and Germany to name a few. He had an infectious energy and palpable passion for life that filled any room. He made friends wherever he went, often chatting up strangers and store workers.  He dedicated himself to his wife, his daughters, projects around the house, and education, retiring as a middle school math teacher. 

He was a man of many hobbies and talents - most notably gardening and art. You could find him sitting at his dining room table listening to a wide range of music from Chick Corea to James Taylor, and etching beautiful designs on his gourds.

When he wasn’t working on gourds, he would be outside caring for a backyard full of flowers, trees, and herbs, or in deep concentration over numerous books that transported him to the countries he lived in and visited during his youth, or cheering on his favorite basketball team - the UNC Tar Heels.

All these activities were punctuated by his deep love and admiration of his wife, Maria, who was a master in the kitchen and cared for him in a way no one else could. They met in their early 20’s and celebrated over 25 years of marriage this past year.

When his daughters and their families visited, especially Michael, his son-in-law, there would be a highly competitive game of hearts going on marked by loud bursts of contagious laughter and fists pounding on the table with excitement. After the games, for a bit of respite, his son-in-law, Paul would play the acoustic guitar and sing Porfirio’s favorite songs, transporting him to his early days on Chapel Hill’s campus in the 1960’s.

Services to celebrate his life will be on April 16th at 10 am at Daniels Family Funeral Home. Located at 4310 Sara Rd. SE , Rio Rancho, NM 87124.

Instead of donations or flowers, please take a moment on (the day of the service) to call your loved ones and talk with them.