Frank Diaz Jr. spent a lifetime loving people and making Fort Worth safer
Frank Diaz Jr. was a lifelong Fort Worth resident who loved people and spent almost half a century making the Crestwood neighborhood a better place, according to his family and friends.
Diaz, affectionately known as the “Mayor of Crestwood,” died Dec. 30. He was 85.
Lloyd Colegrove, former president of the Crestwood Association, said Diaz was involved in everything from organizing the area’s National Night Out to grilling hot dogs for the annual Fourth of July celebration. He was a charter member of the neighborhood association and helped launch Crestwood’s first volunteer crime patrol.
“(We) have a very wonderful quality of life directly because of him,” Colegrove said.
A good neighbor
Crestwood, a tree-lined neighborhood on the West Fork of the Trinity River, boasts around 1,200 residents. It’s located less than five miles west of downtown Fort Worth with easy access to the Trinity Trails.
Diaz and his family moved to Crestwood in 1976. Property crime was rampant in the area at the time, but neighbors say Diaz’s initiatives helped turn things around.
“Frank was really eyes on the ground for this entire neighborhood,” said Tom Roberts, a Crestwood resident who knew Diaz for decades.
Laura Reed, who lived across the street from Diaz for nearly 40 years, said someone broke into her house a few months after she moved in. She wasn’t home, but Diaz noticed a strange truck in her yard. Something didn’t seem right, so he called police and reported the truck’s license plate number.
According to Reed, that was one of the incidents that motivated Diaz, herself and two other residents to form the Crestwood Crime Patrol. Diaz got the idea from a similar program in the nearby Oakhurst neighborhood.
“We went and visited with them and got all sorts of tips and got some training,” Reed said. “We actually rode with them and whatnot. And we decided, you know, we need to do this in Crestwood.”
There were 66 members when the group hit the streets for their first patrol on Dec. 1, 1988, according to Reed.
Crestwood Crime Patrol joined the Fort Worth Police Department’s Code Blue Citizens on Patrol program when it launched in 1991. Residents receive special training but don’t carry weapons and don’t confront suspects. Reed said it’s always been about being eyes and ears for the police department.
“We can get out in the neighborhood, and we don’t have to worry about something bad happening, you know,” Reed said. “We feel free to walk, free to ride our bicycles ... free to let the kids get out and ride their bicycles and do their things.”
In 1993, Fort Worth received the coveted All-America City Award for the second time in its history. Diaz traveled with other members of the Fort Worth delegation to Tampa, Florida, where he helped present the Citizens on Patrol program to a panel of judges. Reed said he considered it one of the highlights of his time with the patrol.
“Taking real people with us is what helped us win it,” Diaz told reporters at the time, according to the Star-Telegram’s archives.
Diaz, dressed in a Citizens on Patrol uniform and making his rounds of the streets, was a familiar sight to Crestwood residents, according to Colegrove. He remained active in the program until the time of his death and served as the local patrol captain numerous times.
In 2022, the city awarded Diaz the Code Blue Lifetime Achievement Award for over 30 years of service.
Jason Back, the Fort Worth Police neighborhood patrol officer for Crestwood, said Diaz is irreplaceable.
“He was always there for this neighborhood,” Back said.
Fort Worth roots
Frank Diaz was “a Fort Worthian through and through,” according to his daughter, Katrina Diaz. The youngest of 13 children, he was born in the City-County Hospital — later renamed John Peter Smith Hospital — in 1940. He was the only child in his family not born at home.
Diaz developed a tremendous work ethic early in life. He served as an altar boy at St. Patrick Cathedral in downtown Fort Worth, getting up at 4 a.m. so he could make it to the church in time to help with Mass. He also had a paper route and was working a full-time job by the time he graduated from Trimble Tech’s night school program in 1960.
On Nov. 22, 1963, Diaz was standing on the corner of Weatherford and Henderson streets when President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade passed through downtown Fort Worth. He never got tired of showing his family the spot.
“He was so proud of that,” Katrina Diaz said.
Diaz mentored a lot of people during his lifetime, and he never knew a stranger, according to Katrina Diaz. He was always using his influence for good.
After retiring from his career as a meat salesman in 2013, Diaz volunteered at Cook Children’s Medical Center every Monday. Katrina Diaz said interacting with the employees and families at the hospital brought him a lot of joy.
“He loved helping people,” she said.
Running was also a big part of Diaz’s life. He ran in at least five marathons, including the Boston Marathon in 2007 and Fort Worth’s Cowtown Marathon. He won multiple trophies for his athletic achievements, according to Katrina Diaz.
“He had a vivacious zest for life,” she said.
Diaz’s wife of 49 years, Elizabeth Diaz, died in 2011. He is survived by his daughter, Katrina Diaz; son, Steven Diaz; and three grandchildren. His funeral is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 8, at noon in Greenwood’s Live Oak Chapel.
