He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on January 6, 1958, to Rolando Octavio Diaz and Felicita Vidal.
Rolando graduated from Dr. Santiago Veve Calzada High School in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, received a BA from Southern Illinois University, and an MBA from Colorado Technical University.
He married his college sweetheart, Wanda Socorro Recio, on March 30, 1979.
Rolando was a US Naval Aviator who proudly served for eighteen years. After retiring from the military, he began his career as a commercial airline pilot with American Eagle Airlines before transitioning to his position at Delta Air Lines, where he flew for twenty-three years.
He was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Airline Pilots Association. Throughout his life, he enjoyed piloting light aircraft, cycling, windsurfing, hang gliding, candle making, photography, remote control airplanes, and Fortnite.
Rolando is survived by his wife Wanda; daughters Carmen Marilia and Sonia Marie; son Ruben Alberto; granddaughters Maribel Elise and Julia Marie; and sisters Evelyn Vianette and Amarylis Lidiana.
Service will be held at Family Funeral Care on Monday, September 26, 2022, at 3:00pm. Come dressed in business casual attire, preferably in black or navy blue. In lieu of flowers, please consider making charitable donations to the Gary Sinise Foundation in support of veterans and first responders. https://www.garysinisefoundation.org
A livestream of the prayer service can be viewed here:
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