David Diaz

David Diaz
Juan David "Elevate" Diaz was born on January 3rd, 1988 in Caguas, Puerto Rico to parents
Juan and Maria. David immigrated with his parents to Florida when he was five years old. He
was raised in a big and loving family, including older brothers Jesse and Sammy and younger
siblings Danny, Iggy, and John. Faith in God was rooted in his identity from the beginning, as
his father served-and continues to serve-as a minister of Iglesia Cristiana Arca Evangelica in
Weeki Wachee, Florida.
Music served as a connecting line throughout David's life. He and Sarah first met as preteens
through church events and mutual friends. Sarah remembers seeing him perform at various
churches with his Christian hip-hop group, "God's Creation." Time passed, and David and Sarah
lost touch over the years. David became a barber and opened "Elevate Barber Shop" in 2014.
David married, and on August 13, 2015, his twin daughters, Adelina (Addy) and Abriella (Brie
Brie) were born. It was one of the proudest moments of his life. David loved being their dad,
and even after his marriage ended he remained very present in his daughters' lives.
In June 2020, music once again connected David and Sarah. David shared a Facebook post
asking friends to comment a memory of him. Sarah responded by mentioning his former music
group. He then sent Sarah a message, and they began talking again. They decided to get
together to catch up as friends. During that first meeting, they spent several hours talking and
looking at the stars together. Their friendship continued to deepen, and by the beginning of 2021
they were inseparable. On March 6, 2021, David asked Sarah to be his girlfriend. This took
place outside of his parents' church-a place where family, faith, and music merged for David.
David really loved his family and his parents. He looked up to them and wanted to have a loving
marriage like them.
Even before they started dating, Sarah and David created a routine for weekday mornings.
David would drive his twins to school each morning, and Sarah would join him. After dropping
off the girls, they would go to get a coffee at Dunkin (a Charley, David's favorite) and then head
to Jenkins Creek park to do a Bible study together. Sarah and David had similar upbringings in
the church, but both were in a season of wanting to grow in their own personal relationship with
God and to come closer to Him in a deeper way. It was so exciting for both of them to find a
partner that had this same desire.
On December 31st, 2022, David asked Sarah to be his wife at the top of the tower at Jenkins
Creek, deepening the connection they both had to this place. On December 1st, 2023, on a warm
winter afternoon, they were married in a beautiful outdoor ceremony, surrounded by nature and
trees, which David loved. He used to tell people when he was at work that he "couldn't wait to
get home and stare at the trees for three hours." It was something he found very peaceful.
In 2021, David and Sarah were attending Crosspoint Church. David served on the worship team
there for several years. In 2024, he and Sarah led the children's worship service together.
During this time David was intentionally learning all he could and getting hands-on experience
in ministry. He had a deep desire and felt a calling to work as a worship leader.
In March 2024, David had an experience that changed the course of his future. He was invited to
attend "The Way," a Christian retreat focused on spiritual growth and development. At the end
of the weekend, several people wanted to be baptized so many met later that day at a local
church, Christian Church in the Wildwood. David ended up being put on the spot and asked to
come forward and lead the group in worship. When his friend, Mr. Bennet, handed David the
microphone, he said, "Here's your weapon." David often talked about that moment as a
breakthrough for him in stepping into his calling. He truly felt that his worship was a ministry
and a movement.
A few weeks later, organized by their dear friend 'Big John,' some people from The Way got
together on the beach to fellowship and worship. David was asked to lead a few songs.
Everyone loved it so much that they did it again, and again, and so Sunset Worship then
continued on to become a regular event that will continue even now. Given David's many
connections, he had a lot of different musicians and singers join in. It was always a movement of
uniting believers from different churches and backgrounds, without barriers or boxes. David
loved the idea of uniting people through music in this way. He was quickly appointed as the
worship leader of the group. Even though it was not an official position, David took it very
seriously. He was always working on the next music set, putting in hours of effort to choose
songs, keys, and to coordinate the events, based on what he felt the Lord was telling him to do.
Despite the loss of David and our dear friend Big John in recent weeks, those left behind intend
to keep the vision of Sunset Worship going forward. The next gathering will be held on March
21st at Bayport.
David always had music playing, whether at home, in the car, or at the barber shop. He was
well-known for his singing abilities, but some may not know that he also played acoustic and
bass guitar, drums, and piano. David also wrote and produced many songs and collaborated with
many different artists. Much of his music can be found on Spotify.
David was also an entrepreneur and all-around creative. He enjoyed painting. He was constantly
bursting with fresh ideas on how to start or grow businesses that would glorify God. He had a
natural gifting for technology and he was brilliant with social media marketing. In addition to
the barber shop he owned in 2014, David also worked as a barber instructor before his marriage
to Sarah. On July 1st, 2024, he and Sarah opened Kingdom Barber Shop. David's dream for this
shop was that it would be a place that glorified God and treated barbers well. He wanted to use it
as a ministry, not just a business. Kingdom Family Barbershop will continue to serve the
community and live out the vision that David intended.
David was an avid sports fan. From his father-in-law, Mike: "David's dad, who was quite good
himself, taught David and his four brothers basketball and they played often growing up. Later
on, he and Sarah would have the privilege of coaching a children's team at Spring Hill Christian
Academy for three years. Having his two daughters play made it even more special. He was a
big fan of the Chicago Bulls and Tampa Bay Rays. He was a huge fan of the Tampa Bay Bucs
and we were thrilled to be able to go one of their games last year. I (Mike) got David interested
in fantasy football and he was very good! In turn, he got me started in fantasy basketball. David
marveled at the skill and grit that God gave to special athletes. We liked to talk about the
underdogs that overcame so much to be successful. Another thing that he took special notice of
were those athletes that went out of their way to honor God and praise Jesus Christ. He enjoyed
many hours of sports talk at Kingdom Barbershop with the other barbers and their customers.
That's a tradition I'm sure will continue!"
David and Sarah spent two beautiful years of marriage together, serving God, helping the
community, having adventures, and loving each other. They loved to travel together. Some of
their best days were when they did not have much of a plan but rather could fill in the blanks
with new experiences. One day Sarah needed to pick up some coffee in Clearwater from a
missionary friend, and she and David made a whole day of it, exploring new and interesting
places, like WhimzeyLand in Safety Harbor. David was a foodie, and one of their favorite things
to do was go somewhere new and try different things, especially their versions of Cuban
Sandwiches.
David's daughters were often included in family adventures. David and Sarah really enjoyed
taking them on an overnight trip to St. Augustine, where they played in the pool and had fun
spending time together. David loved to make his family laugh. He would often make up songs
with the girls, maybe off a comment someone said, and they would all join in on the silliness.
David was excited that the girls enjoyed Pokemon as he did growing up, and he loved being able
to take them to their first Comicon event where his friend Macho and his wife Rebecca were
vendors. The whole family loved to play games together, especially with the twins around. Like
their dad, the girls are very artistically talented and would make David and Sarah crafts and
pictures, many of which they kept in a special box. He loved his girls so incredibly much.
David also loved his dog, Loki. Loki was adopted at four months old, just before David and
Sarah's wedding. Over time, Sarah's dog Wally had also grown to love and accept David. Loki
and Wally became doggy brothers and love playing together. David would often ask Sarah "How
did this happen??" when Loki would be cuddling with him, speaking of how he was just so
attached to Loki and loved him dearly.
Since his experience at The Way, David was working towards the point where he could be more
full-time in music and worship. He took his position with Sunset Worship seriously and he had
big plans to grow the ministry. In August 2025, David was asked to be the Worship Leader at Citrus Community Church in Beverly Hills, FL.. He joyfully accepted the position and led his
first week of worship on August 31st. He jumped wholeheartedly into this role from the very
beginning, and loved and appreciated his worship and tech team immensely. It was his dream,
and he was so happy to be serving the Lord in worship.
In the last few months, David and Sarah celebrated many joyous milestones. David was not
always big on holidays, but he grew to love Christmas in the years he and Sarah were together
and really looked forward to celebrating the whole holiday season that began with Sarah's
birthday on November 14th, followed by Thanksgiving, their Anniversary on December 1st,
Christmas, New Years, and then his Birthday on January 3rd. Sarah and David also celebrated
their "Month-aversary" on the 1st of every month. They were intentional about keeping this
tradition, even taking that day off work every month to spend the day together. They went on a
lot of neat adventures on those "Firsts" and truly cherished the time they spent together. Sarah
and David often read together, and were in the middle of reading "Radical" by David Platt.
David was praying for God to use him to bring others back to Jesus.
On January 11, 2026, David was leading his church family in worship when he had to be taken to
the hospital. He had a chance to say goodbye to Sarah and tell her he loved her. A few days
later, on January 14th, David passed into the presence of His Savior, where His desire to worship
God with others has been ultimately fulfilled in eternity.
David lived with a heart of inclusion, encouragement, and love for others. True to his stage
name, David loved to 'Elevate' others and His Savior. He truly desired to see everyone succeed,
and he chose the high road over and over again even when it was difficult to do. In the past days,
many people have shared how encouraged they felt by David's presence, and how genuine his
desire was to see the best happen for everyone around him.
These few words cannot begin to scratch the surface of who David "Elevate" Diaz was. His
character, presence, and love went deeper than human expression, and his family and friends are
forever grateful to have experienced the warmth of his care for them. David was a shining light
for His Savior, Jesus Christ. The song of his life will echo far beyond his time on earth,
comforting and encouraging others to trust in the God He lived for.
Services will be held Saturday January 24th, 2026. Guests are encouraged to come dressed in bright hues instead of black-David loved color!