Anthony Ray Diaz was born July 30, 1957 to parents Avel Diaz and Daisy May (Belcher) Diaz. 

He graduated from Burns Union High School in 1975. Tony spent time as a young man working for Safeway and the city of Burns landscaping the graveyard/parks. 

He also spent some time in Deschutes County working for Black Butte Ranch. He then returned to Harney County and got a job at The Pine Room. He met his former wife, Lori (Kealiher) Curtis, while working there as a chef. The two were married for eight-and-a-half years and had three children, Anna Maria, Peter John, and Sara Kay. 

The two opened a restaurant in 1985 called The Steens Mountain Café. The restaurant featured authentic Basque cuisine as well as American classics and pizza. Tony made all of the food from scratch daily, including the pizza dough and sourdough buns. Unfortunately, the restaurant closed in 1996. 

Tony then started a new business called Associated Appliance Repair. He ran his repair business until he passed away on Sept. 27, 2021 at 64 years old. 

Tony was incredibly smart and intellectual. He could spend hours discussing topics that sparked his interest. He also enjoyed restoring Volkswagens and loved music. At one point, he owned more than 300 vinyl records. 

His true passion was cooking, and he shared his food with as many people as he could. For years, he helped cook at the annual Basque Festival and The Cattle Woman’s Breakfast during the Harney County Fair. 

Tony was artistic, spiritual, hardworking, open minded, loyal, and honest. He was extremely helpful and would drop everything to lend a hand. He often tried to fix people’s appliances for free. 

Tony was also a simple man who found pleasure working in his garden and spending time with his grandchildren, Ike Michael David and Chloe Hayden. Those two little stinkers were the light of his life. 

Tony was preceded in death by his father, Avel Diaz.

He is survived by his three children, Anna Torrence, Peter Diaz, and Sara Diaz (Chance White); his two grandchildren, Ike and Chloe Torrence; his mother, May Diaz; brothers, Eugene Diaz and Michael Diaz; sisters, Donita Jordan and Beatrice Sitz; and his dogs, Jake and Sophie. 

A memorial will be held Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. at The Pine Room. 

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to his grandchildren’s college/trade school funds at Selco Community Credit Union in Burns.