Cecilia's Baby Boy Remembering Uncle Fred Diaz
By Joseph J. Diaz, The Diaz Observer, June 2013
Grandma Cecilia’s baby boy was born April 23, 1929, in Saginaw, Mich., he was named Fidel Diaz. We all knew him as Uncle Fred. He always looked forward to the family reunions, a little different from most of us because Tio was one of the lucky ones who saw most of the births and marriages through the years of all his nephews and nieces. He, like Tia Della, were not one of the oldest, but the youngest of the brood of children of Senobio y Cecilia. He was a natural farm boy, moving to that illustrious farm as a toddler shortly after the birth of Tia Della in 1931, until he was around 16 years of age in 1945. He attended the old Downs School and it was his sister Carmen who would wake him and get him ready when he was sometimes reluctant to attend in the mornings. I recall Tio saying “She would pull me by the ear, and pull me all the way down to the corner, and then I would take off.”
It’s funny to imagine the lives of our elders when they were young and living on Wolf Road. Tio also recalled how he would often hang around Tia Dora “Like a little baby” during their recess and while playing baseball, “one time she got up to bat and she went to swing the bat and instead of hitting the ball she hit me in the head.” Tia Dora said because he didn’t mind her, she told him to sit down. It’s funny to hear Tio tell these stories while he attended the Centennial celebration of his older brother Joseph Diaz. I am thankful we have this video of Tio. When Uncle Fred was almost 60 years-of-age, he and his wife Diane had a baby boy and named him Joseph. I was told he was named after my grandfather Joseph Diaz, who was 22 years older than Uncle Fred. What a nice gesture. I asked Joe Diaz if he would write a few words about his dad and tell us from his point-of-view about the man, the myth, the legend — our Uncle Fred Diaz. —Editor
My Dad was very motivated in life — one of a kind, an original and always stayed true to his roots. Throughout my life he always mentioned the struggle and how hard it was for him growing up on the farm, but he never left out how hard his mother worked, making sure he as well as all of his siblings had a hot meal everyday.
He also spoke of how Grandma would use old home remedies to cure just about anything when my dad was a kid. He always mentioned how good our generation has it today because work in those days was so much tougher than now. Everything was done manually and different than how we do things today. For instance, no motorized tillers to plow the garden— everything was done by hand.
My dad said he put a lot of labor into the farm with his dad and he also worked on the railroad with grandpa, when he was younger. He had a lot of memories on Wolf. Rd. (the farm) from hunting muskrats and walking down to where the old Cabana nightclub was on S. Washington and selling the skins and fur. They also would hunt pheasants, and fished in clean rivers, and just had fun enjoying nature at its best.
My dad would tell me about Grandma’s corn tortillas and how they would be so good, fresh and thick. He would describe how her hot pot-belly stove would be smothered with chili (peppers) roasting on them. Grandma would call him and tell him to go get a chicken in the coop for her for dinner, Dad always explained how Grandma’s cooking was always so good. They always used their own resources from the farm, and he always reminded me how nothing much went to waste. He also always said how Grandpa was a very quiet man, but very strict, making sure it was work first and play later. Grandpa always said there was never saying “‘I’ll do it tomorrow,’ it has to be done ‘right now.’’’ My father could never be “bored’’ around his father; shoot, that would have resulted in a lot of work!
You all know my Dad had a passion for gardening, making sure it was done right. He never had weeds in his garden, it was very clean and chemical free —what we call organic now. He would work in his garden, letting nothing stop him. He had many memories of his nephews and nieces always being around them when they were young, making music, going dancing , fishing, hunting, camping... to a lot of them he was considered the “cool uncle,” from what a lot of my cousins have told me.
Dad always found a way, always used his mind to build and create things to make things easier in life around the house on 29th street. A lot of things he enjoyed was watching wrestling—and ordering almost every pay-per-view possible! He liked holding card games, playing Tonk with close nephews, and also cooking all the traditional meals.
It’s going to be very hard for me during this year’s reunion as I will miss my father not being there tremendously. He was one of the pieces of the puzzle. It’s going to be different, but I know he will be there in spirit. He loved all of his Diaz familia.
It’s funny to imagine the lives of our elders when they were young and living on Wolf Road. Tio also recalled how he would often hang around Tia Dora “Like a little baby” during their recess and while playing baseball, “one time she got up to bat and she went to swing the bat and instead of hitting the ball she hit me in the head.” Tia Dora said because he didn’t mind her, she told him to sit down. It’s funny to hear Tio tell these stories while he attended the Centennial celebration of his older brother Joseph Diaz. I am thankful we have this video of Tio. When Uncle Fred was almost 60 years-of-age, he and his wife Diane had a baby boy and named him Joseph. I was told he was named after my grandfather Joseph Diaz, who was 22 years older than Uncle Fred. What a nice gesture. I asked Joe Diaz if he would write a few words about his dad and tell us from his point-of-view about the man, the myth, the legend — our Uncle Fred Diaz. —Editor
My Dad was very motivated in life — one of a kind, an original and always stayed true to his roots. Throughout my life he always mentioned the struggle and how hard it was for him growing up on the farm, but he never left out how hard his mother worked, making sure he as well as all of his siblings had a hot meal everyday.
He also spoke of how Grandma would use old home remedies to cure just about anything when my dad was a kid. He always mentioned how good our generation has it today because work in those days was so much tougher than now. Everything was done manually and different than how we do things today. For instance, no motorized tillers to plow the garden— everything was done by hand.
My dad said he put a lot of labor into the farm with his dad and he also worked on the railroad with grandpa, when he was younger. He had a lot of memories on Wolf. Rd. (the farm) from hunting muskrats and walking down to where the old Cabana nightclub was on S. Washington and selling the skins and fur. They also would hunt pheasants, and fished in clean rivers, and just had fun enjoying nature at its best.
My dad would tell me about Grandma’s corn tortillas and how they would be so good, fresh and thick. He would describe how her hot pot-belly stove would be smothered with chili (peppers) roasting on them. Grandma would call him and tell him to go get a chicken in the coop for her for dinner, Dad always explained how Grandma’s cooking was always so good. They always used their own resources from the farm, and he always reminded me how nothing much went to waste. He also always said how Grandpa was a very quiet man, but very strict, making sure it was work first and play later. Grandpa always said there was never saying “‘I’ll do it tomorrow,’ it has to be done ‘right now.’’’ My father could never be “bored’’ around his father; shoot, that would have resulted in a lot of work!
You all know my Dad had a passion for gardening, making sure it was done right. He never had weeds in his garden, it was very clean and chemical free —what we call organic now. He would work in his garden, letting nothing stop him. He had many memories of his nephews and nieces always being around them when they were young, making music, going dancing , fishing, hunting, camping... to a lot of them he was considered the “cool uncle,” from what a lot of my cousins have told me.
Dad always found a way, always used his mind to build and create things to make things easier in life around the house on 29th street. A lot of things he enjoyed was watching wrestling—and ordering almost every pay-per-view possible! He liked holding card games, playing Tonk with close nephews, and also cooking all the traditional meals.
It’s going to be very hard for me during this year’s reunion as I will miss my father not being there tremendously. He was one of the pieces of the puzzle. It’s going to be different, but I know he will be there in spirit. He loved all of his Diaz familia.
