Obituary of Angelo Diaz

Born and raised in Tampa, my beloved and devoted husband, Angelo Diaz, 82, entered Heaven on Monday (October 14, 2024). He is survived by Susan Emily Diaz, his heartbroken wife. My sorrow is overwhelming, as I have lost the love of my life. Angelo and Susan moved from Tampa, FL to the Finger Lakes region in 2021 to be close to her family. Angelo was predeceased by his parents, Domingo and Lily Penzato Diaz; brothers Joseph Diaz, Domingo Diaz II and Sam Diaz; sisters Gloria Garcia and Jennie Settecasi; and father and mother-in-law Watson and Miriam Van Keuren. He also leaves behind sisters-in-law Kathryn Ross and Vivian Diaz; brothers-in-law Robert Garcia, Robert (Sheila) Van Keuren and David (Connie) Van Keuren; and several cousins, nieces and nephews. Angelo proudly retired from Hillsborough County Government, BOCC/Fleet Management in November 1998. His career spanned 17 years and he retired as an ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician. He had worked previously for the city of Tampa as a mechanic. Angelo also had his own autobody shop on Cypress Avenue many years ago. As a young boy, Angelo had a passion for quarter horses. He had his first horse, Champ, at age 15. Angelo always recalled before Al Lopez Park had cows, how he would ride the horses there, close to the stable on Palmetto Ave. Many times, he would recall stories of Tommie and Charlie, of the good old days. Angelo would recall countless times at the races at "bush tracks" and the horses, Bucky Lass and Sun Dome Priest; very fond memories that were everlasting! For many years, we would spend our weekends at Tampa Bay Downs, enjoying the excitement of the thoroughbred horses. We also enjoyed fishing at our "honey holes" for snook, grouper, redfish, trout, and flounder. Many Sundays over the decades, we watched our Buccaneers win and lose. Bucca Neer, our dog, enjoyed our touchdown celebrations and loved walks with her daddy. As the years rolled by, our fishing rods became heavier and our vision a little less for the finish line, but our love was strong as ever and got us over a lot of bumps later in life. Thank you, my love, for my "forever kiss". For all the "rides" we took over Gandy Bridge with our ice cream cones and to the Ocala horse farms. My heart grieves and cries for you, as I will miss you and love you for eternity. I will cherish all our memories and forever thank the Lord that we found each other later in our lifetime, as we were able to spend 38 passionate years together! I will one day feel your hand hold mine again, and know too that I am in Heaven with the Lord and with you. I would like to extend a special thank you to our many teams of doctors who were on this journey with us and guided us through treatment, as we were able to enjoy our time home together. In memory of my husband, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown, MD, 21741.