1994
Ralph Diaz Jr.
2024
Ralph Diaz Jr.
May 14, 1994 — March 23, 2024
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Ralph Diaz, Jr. took his first breath 6 weeks premature on Saturday, May 14, 1994 in Montebello, California & he took his last breath at least 60 years premature on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 5:00 PM in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was only 29 years old when he passed surrounded by his loved ones. He was the 2nd-born child to Irene Denise Cota & Ralph Diaz, Sr.; Irene’s only son & Ralph Sr.’s 2nd & last. Born 1 year & 13 days after his sister Serena, they grew up as best friends & were incredibly close, even through their sibling bickering. When he was 11, his little sister Melissa was born & he felt honored to be her big brother & swore to be her protector, the way Serena had been for him when they were younger.
Ralphie was always an athletic boy. Growing up in Albuquerque, he was either swimming at Highland or Wilson pool, roller blading at Roller King, or roaming the neighborhood on foot or his bike. Ralph always liked to brag about how he taught himself how to ride a bike by wearing his roller blades at the same time. Even as an adult, Ralph always wanted to be active & would often take his kids to the parks nearby, on walks around the neighborhood & to the Maverick gas stations to get blue & cherry slushies.
Ralph was a master at the claw machine, winning something just about every time. He loved to fish & enjoyed camping. As a young boy, he liked to skateboard but was never really good at it. Once, he even fell through the glass storm door at his childhood home while attempting to skateboard on the porch. He played on multiple soccer, baseball, & football teams as a kid. He was a Denver Broncos fan, just like his mom & a Los Angeles Dodgers fan like his dad & the majority of his family. His favorite & lucky number was 5, mostly because he played several years as #5 “The Big Hurt” for the Zia Little League Dodgers. Ralph even liked competitive jump roping with his sister when they attended Whittier Elementary School & he always participated in the annual field day, usually placing in the top 3 for every event he competed in. One year while he was enrolled in the same school, he actually played the role of Bono from the band U2 & lip-synced the song “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”, even pretending to fight off stage-rushing fan girls.
By the time he was 12, Ralphie was taller than his big sister, both his parents, & most of the kids he went to school with, but he was like a giant teddy bear with the best sense of humor. He was always laughing & tended to be a bit of a class clown in school, which would get him into trouble, but you could always count on him to be the one to make you smile. Ralph would not have cared for school if it wasn’t for the social aspects. He was hardly shy & never short of loyal friends. He treated his friends like they were family & always made sure they had a place to go, whether they needed it or not. He was lucky enough to have had friendships that had lasted more than half his life at the time of his passing. Coincidently, Ralph passed on the birthday of his once neighbor, turned best friend, & ultimately brother, Nico Fresquez, who had preceded him in death; There is no doubt that Nico was there guiding Ralphie home that day. One of Ralph’s favorite things growing up was getting to go to work with his dad, especially when it involved him being on movie sets with actresses like Jennifer Lopez or Jessica Alba. At 13, Ralph was even lucky enough to actually score a role as an extra in a movie called Linewatch with Cuba Gooding, Jr. He could’ve had a line if he spoke Spanish, but he still got a quick camera shot all to himself, so you can’t miss him.
At 14, Ralph met the love of his life, Miranda & stole her heart on Monday, May 30, 2010. Although they were young, their whirlwind romance was deep & passionate. In a little over a year, at 15 years old, Ralph welcomed his first child with Miranda & they named him Raymond Joseph. From the day he was born, Ray was a mini Ralph & was always by his side. Ralph was a natural-born & proud father. 3 days short of exactly 2 years later, they welcomed their second son, Carlos Richard, who started out much quieter than his brother, but just like his dad & brother, he discovered his loud, huge personality before long. Unconventionally, Ralph & Miranda tied the knot on Saturday, May 26, 2018, with their 2 sons present to witness their commitment to each other. They were surrounded by friends & family at the UNM Duck Pond that afternoon as they exchanged vows to make their marriage official. With the wedding came a honeymoon baby named Nicolas Ryan, named after Ralph’s dear close friend. Just like his dad, Nico is rambunctious & more than a couple handfuls in energy & size. 3 years & 2 months after their 3rd & final son was born, Ralph was finally gifted the daughter he always wanted, Sophia Irene. At just a year & a half old when he passed, she was already a daddy’s girl & misses him dearly, but with his clones who are her brothers & all her paternal family, she will always remember exactly the man her daddy was.
Shortly after Nico was born, Ralph had become seriously ill & was forced to make some drastic lifestyle changes. Although he was facing some significant health concerns, he did not let the negative things get him down. Ralph continued to live life to the fullest & gave his kids the best life he could, knowing he did not have long. Ralph did whatever he could to support his family & had multiple jobs during his time in this world, from a Pizza9 delivery driver, to Chuck E. Cheese, to event staff at the Santa Ana Star Center, to a glass glazier at Dwight's. Aside from all those titles, his favorite was “Dad” & the best job he ever had was being a stay-at-home father for his kids. Ralph was such a lover & was great with children. He was an amazing uncle to his nephews, even teaching at least one of them how to walk. Anyone who knew Ralph knew how much he loved music & how loud he liked to listen to it. Whether he was chilling at home, driving around town, hanging with friends, or working, Ralph was always listening to something good & probably dancing while he did. One thing he passed on to all 4 of his kids was that same love & appreciation of music, as well as his moves. Ralph was also incredibly talented at drawing & he even taught himself how to tattoo, so aside from his precious children being here to remind us of him, there are a few lucky people who will have his artwork on them forever, 2 of those people being his wife & his mother.
Ralph was preceded in death by his grandfather Isidro Guerrero, tia Geri Guerrero, uncle Robert Cota, cousins Joseph Vasquez & Joseph Teyechea, father-in-law Robert Marquez, close family friend Johnny Baca & previously mentioned “brother” Nico Fresquez. Ralph is survived by his his wife Miranda Diaz & his 4 children, Raymond Joseph Diaz, Carlos Richard Diaz, Nicolas Ryan Diaz, & Sophia Irene Diaz, his mother Irene Cota, father Ralph Diaz, Sr., sisters Melissa Diaz & Serena Diaz-Larson, sister-in-law Amanda Diaz-Larson, half-brother Jimmy Diaz, grandmothers Irene Onopa & Elizabeth Cota, grandfather Norman Cota, tia Brenda Perez, aunt & nina Cynthia Cota Gonzales, nino Gilbert Gonzales, aunt Rosemarie Castaneda, uncles Raymond & David Cota, 6 nephews, at least 44 cousins, his mother-in-law Monica Marquez, brother-in-laws Marcus & Ryan Medina, & countless extended & choosen family members including Monica Roybal, Sarah Bryson, Michele Serna, Ross Vigil, Michael Mooney, Anthony Padilla, & many many more.
Ralph’s final viewing will be from 5 PM to 7 PM on Thursday, April 11th, at the chapel of Trujillo Family Funeral Home located at 110 Alvarado Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Immediately following that, his family will hold a short lit vigil to light up for Ralphie the way he would’ve wanted. That location will be announced to attendees of the Wake. His family has asked that everyone wear blue in honor of him that evening. Friends & family will be asked to volunteer if they’d like to say something for Ralphie. His Rosary & Mass will begin at 10 AM on Friday, April 12th, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, located at 1502 Sara Rd, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. The Rosary will be led by family friend Ilene Dustin & special scriptures will be read by Ralph’s close friend Anthony Herrera & family member Francisco Maldonado. The Mass will be led by Monsignor Ron. Those services will be followed by his placement in his final resting place at 12 PM at Sandia Memory Gardens at 9500 San Pedro Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113.
Ralphie will be escorted to his final resting place by his sister Serena Diaz, uncle Raymond Cota, his cousins Anthony Vasquez & Chris Guerrero, & his chosen brothers Michael Mooney, Ross Vigil, Daniel Padilla, & Anthony Herrera. His brother-in-laws Marcus & Ryan Medina, & cousins Mario Teyechea & Gabriel Blajos Perez are honorary pallbearers. His family has asked that everyone dress their best in all black while they lay Ralphie to rest on this day, just like he wanted. A celebration of life will follow his placement from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the residence of a family friend located at 817 Rio Vista Dr NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144
Arrangements have been entrusted to the compassionate professionals at
Trujillo Family Funeral Home
"Our Family Serving Yours"
Ralphie was always an athletic boy. Growing up in Albuquerque, he was either swimming at Highland or Wilson pool, roller blading at Roller King, or roaming the neighborhood on foot or his bike. Ralph always liked to brag about how he taught himself how to ride a bike by wearing his roller blades at the same time. Even as an adult, Ralph always wanted to be active & would often take his kids to the parks nearby, on walks around the neighborhood & to the Maverick gas stations to get blue & cherry slushies.
Ralph was a master at the claw machine, winning something just about every time. He loved to fish & enjoyed camping. As a young boy, he liked to skateboard but was never really good at it. Once, he even fell through the glass storm door at his childhood home while attempting to skateboard on the porch. He played on multiple soccer, baseball, & football teams as a kid. He was a Denver Broncos fan, just like his mom & a Los Angeles Dodgers fan like his dad & the majority of his family. His favorite & lucky number was 5, mostly because he played several years as #5 “The Big Hurt” for the Zia Little League Dodgers. Ralph even liked competitive jump roping with his sister when they attended Whittier Elementary School & he always participated in the annual field day, usually placing in the top 3 for every event he competed in. One year while he was enrolled in the same school, he actually played the role of Bono from the band U2 & lip-synced the song “Pride (In The Name Of Love)”, even pretending to fight off stage-rushing fan girls.
By the time he was 12, Ralphie was taller than his big sister, both his parents, & most of the kids he went to school with, but he was like a giant teddy bear with the best sense of humor. He was always laughing & tended to be a bit of a class clown in school, which would get him into trouble, but you could always count on him to be the one to make you smile. Ralph would not have cared for school if it wasn’t for the social aspects. He was hardly shy & never short of loyal friends. He treated his friends like they were family & always made sure they had a place to go, whether they needed it or not. He was lucky enough to have had friendships that had lasted more than half his life at the time of his passing. Coincidently, Ralph passed on the birthday of his once neighbor, turned best friend, & ultimately brother, Nico Fresquez, who had preceded him in death; There is no doubt that Nico was there guiding Ralphie home that day. One of Ralph’s favorite things growing up was getting to go to work with his dad, especially when it involved him being on movie sets with actresses like Jennifer Lopez or Jessica Alba. At 13, Ralph was even lucky enough to actually score a role as an extra in a movie called Linewatch with Cuba Gooding, Jr. He could’ve had a line if he spoke Spanish, but he still got a quick camera shot all to himself, so you can’t miss him.
At 14, Ralph met the love of his life, Miranda & stole her heart on Monday, May 30, 2010. Although they were young, their whirlwind romance was deep & passionate. In a little over a year, at 15 years old, Ralph welcomed his first child with Miranda & they named him Raymond Joseph. From the day he was born, Ray was a mini Ralph & was always by his side. Ralph was a natural-born & proud father. 3 days short of exactly 2 years later, they welcomed their second son, Carlos Richard, who started out much quieter than his brother, but just like his dad & brother, he discovered his loud, huge personality before long. Unconventionally, Ralph & Miranda tied the knot on Saturday, May 26, 2018, with their 2 sons present to witness their commitment to each other. They were surrounded by friends & family at the UNM Duck Pond that afternoon as they exchanged vows to make their marriage official. With the wedding came a honeymoon baby named Nicolas Ryan, named after Ralph’s dear close friend. Just like his dad, Nico is rambunctious & more than a couple handfuls in energy & size. 3 years & 2 months after their 3rd & final son was born, Ralph was finally gifted the daughter he always wanted, Sophia Irene. At just a year & a half old when he passed, she was already a daddy’s girl & misses him dearly, but with his clones who are her brothers & all her paternal family, she will always remember exactly the man her daddy was.
Shortly after Nico was born, Ralph had become seriously ill & was forced to make some drastic lifestyle changes. Although he was facing some significant health concerns, he did not let the negative things get him down. Ralph continued to live life to the fullest & gave his kids the best life he could, knowing he did not have long. Ralph did whatever he could to support his family & had multiple jobs during his time in this world, from a Pizza9 delivery driver, to Chuck E. Cheese, to event staff at the Santa Ana Star Center, to a glass glazier at Dwight's. Aside from all those titles, his favorite was “Dad” & the best job he ever had was being a stay-at-home father for his kids. Ralph was such a lover & was great with children. He was an amazing uncle to his nephews, even teaching at least one of them how to walk. Anyone who knew Ralph knew how much he loved music & how loud he liked to listen to it. Whether he was chilling at home, driving around town, hanging with friends, or working, Ralph was always listening to something good & probably dancing while he did. One thing he passed on to all 4 of his kids was that same love & appreciation of music, as well as his moves. Ralph was also incredibly talented at drawing & he even taught himself how to tattoo, so aside from his precious children being here to remind us of him, there are a few lucky people who will have his artwork on them forever, 2 of those people being his wife & his mother.
Ralph was preceded in death by his grandfather Isidro Guerrero, tia Geri Guerrero, uncle Robert Cota, cousins Joseph Vasquez & Joseph Teyechea, father-in-law Robert Marquez, close family friend Johnny Baca & previously mentioned “brother” Nico Fresquez. Ralph is survived by his his wife Miranda Diaz & his 4 children, Raymond Joseph Diaz, Carlos Richard Diaz, Nicolas Ryan Diaz, & Sophia Irene Diaz, his mother Irene Cota, father Ralph Diaz, Sr., sisters Melissa Diaz & Serena Diaz-Larson, sister-in-law Amanda Diaz-Larson, half-brother Jimmy Diaz, grandmothers Irene Onopa & Elizabeth Cota, grandfather Norman Cota, tia Brenda Perez, aunt & nina Cynthia Cota Gonzales, nino Gilbert Gonzales, aunt Rosemarie Castaneda, uncles Raymond & David Cota, 6 nephews, at least 44 cousins, his mother-in-law Monica Marquez, brother-in-laws Marcus & Ryan Medina, & countless extended & choosen family members including Monica Roybal, Sarah Bryson, Michele Serna, Ross Vigil, Michael Mooney, Anthony Padilla, & many many more.
Ralph’s final viewing will be from 5 PM to 7 PM on Thursday, April 11th, at the chapel of Trujillo Family Funeral Home located at 110 Alvarado Dr SE, Albuquerque, NM 87108. Immediately following that, his family will hold a short lit vigil to light up for Ralphie the way he would’ve wanted. That location will be announced to attendees of the Wake. His family has asked that everyone wear blue in honor of him that evening. Friends & family will be asked to volunteer if they’d like to say something for Ralphie. His Rosary & Mass will begin at 10 AM on Friday, April 12th, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, located at 1502 Sara Rd, Rio Rancho, NM 87124. The Rosary will be led by family friend Ilene Dustin & special scriptures will be read by Ralph’s close friend Anthony Herrera & family member Francisco Maldonado. The Mass will be led by Monsignor Ron. Those services will be followed by his placement in his final resting place at 12 PM at Sandia Memory Gardens at 9500 San Pedro Dr NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113.
Ralphie will be escorted to his final resting place by his sister Serena Diaz, uncle Raymond Cota, his cousins Anthony Vasquez & Chris Guerrero, & his chosen brothers Michael Mooney, Ross Vigil, Daniel Padilla, & Anthony Herrera. His brother-in-laws Marcus & Ryan Medina, & cousins Mario Teyechea & Gabriel Blajos Perez are honorary pallbearers. His family has asked that everyone dress their best in all black while they lay Ralphie to rest on this day, just like he wanted. A celebration of life will follow his placement from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm at the residence of a family friend located at 817 Rio Vista Dr NE, Rio Rancho, NM 87144
Arrangements have been entrusted to the compassionate professionals at
Trujillo Family Funeral Home
"Our Family Serving Yours"
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ralph Diaz Jr., please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
Past Services
Viewing
Thursday, April 11, 2024
5:00 - 7:00 pm (Mountain time)
Trujillo Family Funeral Home
Rosary
Friday, April 12, 2024
10:00 - 11:00 am (Mountain time)
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
Funeral Mass
Friday, April 12, 2024
11:00am - 12:00 pm (Mountain time)
St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church
Burial
Friday, April 12, 2024
12:00 - 1:30 pm (Mountain time)
Sandia Memory Gardens
Guestbook
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