Rosa Diaz

Rosa was born in Bogotá, Colombia, on February 23, 1934. She carried her roots with her when she came to the United States, bringing strength, resilience, and a deep sense of tradition. In New Rochelle, New York, she met her husband who and partner in life, Pedro Diaz Rivera. Together, they built a home and a family grounded in love and perseverance.

They raised two sons, Pedro Antonio and Jaime Diaz, in the West End of New Rochelle, at 71 4th Avenue—a place filled with memories, laughter, and the everyday moments that quietly shape a life. That home wasn’t just walls and a roof. It was where Rosa did what she did best: take care of her people.

Life didn’t go easy on her. When her son answered the call to serve in the Marine Corps, she made another move—relocating to Clayton in the year 2000. And then came loss, the kind that tests everything inside a person. Her son Pedro passed in 2002. Her sister-in-law, Aida Luz, in August of 2017. And her husband, Pedro, in June of 2019.

That’s more than most people can carry. But Rosa didn’t fold. She kept going.

Because at the center of her life—always—was family.

Her love didn’t fade with hardship. It sharpened. It focused. It poured into her grandchildren, Ashley Marie Gallegos (Diaz) of Clayton and Brandon Fenwick of Hubert, North Carolina. They weren’t just part of her life—they were her joy, her pride, and her reason to keep showing up.

Rosa didn’t need grand stages or big speeches to leave a mark. She did it in her own way—through cookouts, through laughter, through the smell of authentic home-cooked meals, through the way she made people feel when they walked into her space. She created warmth. She created belonging. She created family.

A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 pm on May 4, 2026, at McLaurin Funeral Home Chapel, 12830 Clayton Boulevard, Clayton, North Carolina.