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Community leader, Army veteran Felix Diaz to be laid to rest Thursday in Victorville

Daily Press - 10/26/2021

Oct. 26—Army veteran, longtime teacher and local author Felix G. Diaz, 87, will be laid to rest Thursday, with services at St. Joan of Arc Church Catholic Church and interment at Victor Valley Memorial Park, both in downtown Victorville.

Marcelino "Chico" Garza, 70, told the Daily Press that Diaz, his best friend, will be buried with a "military salute after serving the country that he loved."

Garza, a retired special assistant to the San Bernardino County Schools Superintendent Ted Alejandre, said a viewing for Diaz will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday at St. Joan of Arc, 15512 Sixth Street, Victorville.

After the viewing, a 30-minute rosary will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the church. That will be followed by a mass that will end at noon.

"After the mass, we'll proceed to the mortuary for the graveside service," Garza said. "We'll also have a reception inside the chapel."

Victor Valley Memorial Park and Mortuary is located at 15609 Eleventh Street.

Diaz died at his Victorville home on Oct. 16 after a lengthy illness, Margaret Diaz previously told the Daily Press.

Diaz's wife, Margaret, said she was surprised when medical and hospice personnel told her that he had heart arrhythmia, which may have contributed to his death.

"After 32 years of marriage, Felix is now resting in the arms of his Lord and Savior," Margaret Diaz said. "Felix's faith was very strong and he loved God."

Felix Diaz "found joy" when a former student would bring him communion every Tuesday morning, said Margaret Diaz, the founder and retired executive director of A Better Way Domestic Violence Shelter & Outreach.

Felix Diaz began his teaching career in 1961 and taught for 46 years. He taught multiple grade levels, from kindergarten to college courses, with stints at Adelanto and Victorville schools. He also taught at Victor Valley College for 23 years.

He coached basketball at VVC for eight years, and football and track at Victor Valley High School for eight years.

He participated in the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and founded the Felix G. Diaz Mariachi Music Festival in 2015. He was also appointed to the San Bernardino County Fair Board.

Diaz was elected to the Victorville City Council in November 1992 and served four years. He also served as a member of the Victor Valley Union High School District Board in the early 1980s.

Margaret Diaz said her husband loved to work with the California Cadet Corps, a youth organization open to students beginning in elementary school and extending into college.

Garza and Diaz were part of the nonprofit Los Dorados del Valle Charro Group, which helped raise scholarship funds for Hispanic children to attend Victor Valley College.

Garza described Diaz as a "patriot and advocate for veterans," who created the Old Town Victorville Veterans Memorial that city officials unveiled in 1996 on the corner of Seventh Street and Forrest Avenue.

Felix Diaz was born in Hesperia in 1934. He and his family moved to Victorville the following year.

In his book, "Footprints from the Barrio," he chronicled his life and growing up in the 1930s and '40s in the E Street barrio north of the railroad tracks in downtown Victorville.

Felix Diaz attended Antelope Valley Junior College and in the mid-1950s, was drafted into the Army, served two years and returned to Victorville in 1959.

He received an associate's degree from Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria in 1961 and earned a bachelor's degree from California State University, Los Angeles in 1967. In 1971, Diaz received his master's degree from Chapman College in Orange.

In addition to his wife, Felix Diaz also leaves behind children Angie Hamm, Michael Diaz, Tony Diaz, Monique Diaz, 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz.

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