<div itemprop="description">Mr. Patricio Diaz ( Jan. 3, 1939 - Dec. 30, 2024) pre-deceased by his beloved wife Catalina Diaz de Diharce. He will be forever missed and loved by his daughter Natacha Carolina Diaz and son Juan Pablo Diaz. <br> <br> <br>Dear daddy, <br>It has been a privilege and an honour to be your daughter. <br>You were larger than life, a Forestry Engineer to your core. You never stopped reading and researching solutions for our planet and humanity, into your eighties. You shared your love of nature and the environment with us and I will carry that with me, always. <br> <br>You were a straight talker, often with no filter, which could ruffle some feathers but underneath it all you were always trying to build bridges and learn about and from other people. Critical thinking and doing useful things for the betterment of all. The superficiality of being was just not your cup of tea. Many did not understand you – including some of our own extended family, yet you were at ease chatting with all who you happen to meet, befriending your local grocer as much as the Cambridge university trained Astrophysicist you and mum (Caty Diaz de Diharce – 1937-1987) met at a Garage Sale. <br> <br>You loved reading and learning, your technical engineering, mathematics and Algebra books were your treasures. History was another one of your passions. It astounds me to this day, how much you knew about the world wars and Vietnam. I thank you for encouraging me to discover my passion for medieval European history. I will miss our weekly drives to your favourite used book store, “Le Mot” The Word on Milton street, while listening to “C’est si bon” on 100.7FM. You were a faithful customer for 30 years. <br> <br>You breathed world news daily and your heart ached for the plight of the displaced, disadvantaged and forgotten. How many times did you remind me to bring change for the homeless people we met on the road or to help you plan the donation of the 1.5 tons of textbooks to schools in the Caribbean. You loved music and the arts. You introduced us to the music of Bob Marley, Beethoven, Ella Fitzgerald, Errol Garner, the films of Akira Kurosawa and Federico Fellini, amongst countless other artists. <br> <br>You are with mum now. You helped her through her 8 years of cancer treatments with that unwavering optimism that always characterized you in the worst of times. You could uplift us all daddy. Juan Pablo and I still treasure the countless children’s stories you invented to make us laugh to tears when we were refugees in Buenos Aires in the middle of the Dirty War. Daddy, Flaco, how will we live without your warmth, your protection and your zany humour now that we need it most. <br> <br>Your life started simply enough in La Serena Chile, the fifth child of a Pharmacist and a High School Principal. However, you followed your dream of travelling, taking us with you, while working in small town Greenhouses in Chiloe Island, Shawinigan, as well as for B.C. Forestry and World bank funded reforestation programs in Central Africa. We are so proud of you and we will strive to live up to the principles of constant improvement, critical thinking, empathy and doing good that you ingrained in our hearts and minds. You guided us through so much loss and renewal until your heart and your soul became quiet and accepting of what was ahead. <br>We love you daddy, Patricio Lyonell Diaz Caballero, my heart aches to be writing these words so soon. I was not ready for your sudden departure. Enjoy your well-deserved wings, please do not argue with mum too much, until we meet again. <br> <br> <br>Hello Bapu, <br> <br>I want to thank you for all the love and devotion that you showed us all. So much that you had learned in life, you shared with me. You were an uncompromising teacher and I hope to make you proud. From my earliest memory, you showed me a path in life and tried to guide me. <br> <br>In every cell within me, there will always be a part of you. It is my profound hope that you find the comfort and peace, that you so richly deserve. <br> <br>Thank you, Papa, and may you explore the infinite universe that you saw as a glorious mechanism. I am sure you will make suggestions on how to improve it. <br></div>
