Jimmy Ojinaga Diaz

Jimmy Ojinaga Diaz was born on September 27th, 1952 in Fresno, Ca. His family had just arrived in California from Pecos, Texas. He was the youngest of 6 children. He had two older sisters and three older brothers.

He grew up in California and attended high school in Coalinga. During his high school years, he would meet one of his lifelong friends, Tom, whom he continued to be friends with the rest of his life. Within minutes of meeting each other, they instantly became friends. Jimmy introduced Tom to a whole new way of living and thinking. Jimmy befriended Tom even though Tom did not fit in very well among his peers. Jimmy would support and defend the people that he cared about. His friendships were important to him. Jimmy continued to visit and maintain his friendship with Tom over the years, even with Tom moving out of state. Jimmy still made time to go and visit his friends regardless of where they were.

One of Jimmy’s goals in high school was to get himself a car, and not just any car. Jimmy worked and saved his money. He bought himself a 1962 Chevy Impala. The impala was a white car with gold trim, laced with red. Jimmy fell in love with his Impala. He would take very good care of it and he washed it multiple times per week. He would use his car to pick up his friends and take them places. He had a lot of great times with his friends and his car. There were even stories about an outing that Jimmy took with his friends and his sister to go cow tipping. Jimmy had set out to tip a cow but despite his best efforts, he was unsuccessful. He did succeed to entertain his friends and the night was filled with laughter and great memories.

Shortly after Jimmy graduated high school, he joined the Marines. He enlisted on August 30th 1971 and he was 18 years old. He joined the Marines with a friend of his from high school. There were many difficult tests that needed to be passed to successfully enter the Marines and Jimmy passed them all. He would spend the next 6 years as a Marine. During his time in the Marines, he worked as a Hydraulic Mechanic. He was a Corporal E4. While in the Marines, he spent some time in the Vietnam War. Jimmy earned a Vietnam Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Mentorious Mast award, and Letters of appreciation. He was also a rifle expert.

After Jimmy got out of the Marines, he returned to Coalinga. He spent a lot of time with his family after he returned. He enjoyed fishing frequently with his brother Frank. Jimmy started working for Santa Fe in 1979. Santa Fe turned into Chevron/Texaco. He would continue working there for over 30 years. He started living in a house located on the corner directly across from McDonalds. The house was located close to one of the main intersections of Coalinga and many people would wave to Jimmy as they passed by. He even invited his Nephew Joey to live with him for a few years. Jimmy and Joey would take several road trips together. Jimmy enjoyed driving around and visiting places and people. Jimmy was enjoying his life and the people in it.

He became the Godfather to two of his nieces. He baptized his niece Rena Rosas and his niece Carolyn Diaz. Jimmy was happy and honored to be a Godfather. Jimmy would take time off in the summers and spend time with his godchildren and another nephew. He took them on several trips to theme parks such as Disneyland and Magic Mountain. He would also take them to Indian Pow-wows. He would reward them for getting good grades by giving the kids set amounts for money for certain grades. He created a lot of great memories for him and the kids.

Jimmy was enjoying life and then ran into some hard times with the passing of his brother-in-law and his brother. After his Brother Joe passed, he moved in with his Mother. His mother was having a hard time dealing with the deaths and she was growing older. She required assistance and Jimmy spent all of his free time assisting her, while continuing to work. He would take his mother to her medical appointments and help her maintain her home. He dedicated his life to helping his mother until she passed away in 2000. Since he had spent so much time with her prior to her death, he had a difficult time handling her death. He isolated himself away from his friends and family for a while.

A few years after his mother passed, Jimmy started finding his way back into his religion. He began praying and decided to reconnect with his family and friends. He re-established his relationships and everyone was very happy to spend time with him again. He started to establish relationships with the children of his nieces and nephews. He attended sporting events, gatherings and graduations. The new generation of kids grew closer and closer to Jimmy. He planned and organized several camping trips with his family members. The camping trips provided quality family bonding time and created many memories for all involved.

Jimmy was diagnosed with Cancer during the time he was re-connecting with his family. He began an organic diet and started a juicing diet that helped with his cancer and his tumors. He did not want to go through the harsh treatments of Chemo. In late 2011/early 2012 his brother-in-law Lucio was diagnosed with Cancer as well. Jimmy once again dedicated himself to fully support his brother-in-law and sister during that difficult time. He spend many nights in San Francisco sleeping in a chair or his truck just so he could be close to his brother-in-law while he was receiving his treatments. He was never very far away. He was always a rock for his family to rely on when they needed him the most.

Jimmy’s cancer took his life on October 31st, 2014. He was surrounded by his family and he made sure that everyone knew how much he loved them. Jimmy always had a sense of humor and even while he was in the hospital dying, he maintained his sense of humor and was making people laugh. The family came together and said a prayer for Jimmy. Jimmy passed away peacefully in the morning around 10:00 AM.

Jimmy was a family man. Even though he never had a family of his own, the children would always surround him anytime that he was around. He was a very wise man of few words and he will greatly be missed by all. His memory will live on in the hearts of his family and definitely in the hearts of the children in his life.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Memorial - Coalinga Chapel, Coalinga, CA.