Marie Diaz, the Hermosa Beach Woman of the year in 1992, who with her husband Joe co-founded the Hermosa Beach Sister City program, passed away last Thursday at age 96.
Diaz was born Marie Negrete in Gardena, the youngest daughter of 15 children of Victor and Maria Negrete. In the late 1930s, she left school to work in her sister’s restaurant in Wilmington, where she met her future husband Joe Diaz. They married on October 3, 1942 and had two daughters, Rosalie and Martha.
In 1953, they moved to Hermosa Beach from Gardena. Marie worked at the Broadway in Westchester until quitting to devote full time to raising her daughters. Joe worked at Hughes Aircraft.
The couple had two grandchildren, Monica and John, who lived with them for a period of time and whom they called Mom and Pop. Monica attended Hermosa Beach schools and at one point, brought Maria to her Home Economics class at Hermosa Middle School for “show and tell.” Maria taught Monica’s classmates how to make homemade tortillas.
For many years, Marie, Joe, the kids traveled every weekend Rosarito Beach. No matter where she was, in a house, hotel or a travel trailer, she could always make a meal that looked like it took hours to prepare. She also always dressed to the nines and was consummate hostess.
She regarded the Hermosa Beach Fire Department as her guardian angels. They cared for her as if she was their own mother and, have a picture of her with the fire department and and the fire truck in Loreto, Hermosa’s Sister City.
Joe Diaz, Hermosa’s Man of the Year, passed away in 2008, the day before the couple’s 66th anniversary.
Maria is survived by daughters Rosalie (Bruce) Schjeldahl and Martha Diaz, grandchildren Monica (Rick) Frey and John Nelson and great grandchildren Leina, Sabrina and John John Nelson. ER
