JAY – Jose “Joe” Diaz started out pumping gas at age 12 and worked his way up to owning his own construction business, one known statewide for building bridges, town offices and jails.

Diaz, 67, died Tuesday from complications of congestive heart failure, his wife of nearly 48 years, Janet Diaz said Wednesday.

“He put up a good fight,” she said. “He always was convinced he was going to get better … I think in the end he knew.”

A memorial service has been set for 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, at the First Baptist Church in Livermore Falls followed by fellowship at the Livermore Falls Church of the Nazarene.

Diaz was known as a tough negotiator and a sharp businessman who was also generous and loved his family.

He owned Diaz Corp. until he sold the company to a Turner businessman because of ill health in 2003.

Even struggles with cancer of his vocal chords didn’t stop him.

He kept on going, remaining active in the Jay community and his business ventures, owning Family Fare Restaurant on Routes 2 and 4 in Farmington. He also owned post offices in Jay, Phillips and Vinalhaven, Jay Rental Tool, the vacant Jay Family Restaurant, and commercial buildings around the state.

His company built the Franklin County jail in Farmington as well as the Farmington Municipal Building.

It also constructed the Livermore Falls Town Office and sewage treatment plants in North Jay and Livermore Falls.

One of his bigger projects was the construction of the Center Street, Auburn, and Main Street, Lewiston, overpasses. He also worked on the Portland International Jetport.

Jay Town Manager Ruth Marden said Diaz was active in the town on the Jay Development Committee and also served on the Town Office Committee.

“He’s been a fixture in town and in the area for as long as I can remember,” Marden said. He has provided a lot of local people over the years an opportunity to work in the area and to live here, she said.

He was also a major proponent of a new municipal building, she said, and came into see her numerous times to say, “The town of Jay really needs a new building.”

“Even though he and I disagreed on many things as he disagreed with a lot of people on many things, he always had the best interest of Jay at heart and you have to respect that,” she said. “I’m sorry he’s gone.”

Mike Gentile of Jay, a friend of Diaz’s for many years, said, “I always thought he was trying to do in his way what was right for the town.”

He was a large minority contractor and got a lot of jobs through the minority contractor program, Gentile said.

“He was part of his heritage,” he said. He did good jobs. He did jobs statewide.”

Gentile, a lawyer with Preti Flaherty Beliveau Pachios & Haley in Augusta, said he travels all over the state and when he mentions he’s from Jay, people ask him if he knows Joe Diaz. Diaz knew his business well and that’s why he was so successful, Gentile said.

“He was a tough negotiator,” Gentile said. “He was not bashful. He put his point across.”