JACKSONVILLE  -  Enrique Diaz, 74, of Jacksonville, North Carolina passed away Saturday, February 14, 2026. The family will receive friends on Monday, February 23, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Jones Funeral Home, Jacksonville.  Graveside funeral services, with military honors, will be held at 12:00 PM on Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at Coastal Carolina State Veterans Cemetery.

Today, we gather to honor a man whose life was defined by service, strength, devotion, and love.

For 20 years, he served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps. That kind of commitment is not casual. It is discipline. It is sacrifice. It is choosing country over comfort, duty over ease. The Marine Corps was not just something he did. It shaped who he was. His integrity, his resilience, his quiet strength — those were not accidents. They were forged.

After retiring from military service, he continued serving his community with the City of Jacksonville, North Carolina. Service was never just a chapter in his life. It was his character.

But beyond the uniforms and titles, he was first and always a family man.

For 38 years, he was married to the love of his life, Quisquella Diaz; Thirty-eight years of partnership, loyalty, laughter, and weathering life's storms together. That kind of marriage is built on commitment and deep love. It is something to admire.

He was a proud father to five children — Mike, Enrique, Crystal, Mikey, and Dominic. Each of you carries pieces of him. His strength. His humor. His determination. His values.

And if you ever wanted to see him truly light up, you only had to watch him with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That was pure joy. That was legacy in motion. He didn't just build a family. He built generations.

He loved fishing — the patience of it, the quiet reflection. He loved cooking — feeding people was his way of showing love. And he valued meditation, that stillness that reflected the depth of his spirit. He understood that strength and peace can exist in the same person.

He was also a brother — to Angel, to James, lovingly known as Tito, and to his sister Mariam. Those bonds run deep. They hold childhood memories, shared history, and a lifetime of connection.

His life was not small. It was full.

Full of service. Full of devotion. Full of love.

And while we feel the weight of his absence, we also carry the gift of his example.

He showed us what commitment looks like. He showed us what loyalty looks like. He showed us what love looks like.

And that does not disappear.

His life mattered. His service mattered. His love endures.

May we honor him not only in our words today, but in how we live tomorrow.