In Memoriam - Regino C. Villareal

Ronnie Villareal is a member of the Jesuit Class of 1956.

He is the father of Ron '79, Ruben '90, Rene '94 and Roger '94 Villareal.

He is the grandfather of Christian '11 and Collin '15 Buechel.

Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Regino C. Villareal '56

A rosary will be held Thursday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m., at Calvary Hill. The funeral mass will be Friday March 9, at 10:00 a.m., at St. Thomas Aquinas. A reception will immediately follow at the parish, with burial at Calvary Hill at 3:00 p.m.

Regino "Ronnie" C. Villareal, 80, passed away on March 5, 2018 with his loving family by his side. Born on November 19, 1937 to Sylvia Cruz and Daniel Villareal, he was the eldest of 10 siblings. Ronnie leaves behind a proud legacy as a lifelong Dallasite and contributor to the communities he called home. In 1952, he graduated from St. Ann's Parochial School in the heart of Dallas' historic Little Mexico. Ronnie then attended the original Oaklawn campus of Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas. His graduation in 1956 was the start of three generations of Jesuit alumni in the Villareal family, including his sons, grandsons, and a granddaughter. He always said his time at Jesuit had a profound impact on him. He bled Rangers blue and gold. Ronnie and his wife of 58 years, Leanor Barrientos Villareal, were childhood neighbors and schoolmates at St. Ann's. He married the love of his life on September 13, 1959 at Our Lady of Guadalupe church. After several decades in Little Mexico on Pearl Street, the Villareal family re-planted roots near St. Thomas Aquinas in 1971, where they have been ever since. He was a fixture at the parish, coaching his kids' teams, cooking fajitas, tamales, and enchiladas for food festivals and carnivals, and serving as president of the PTA. Ronnie worked for many years in plumbing sales. He also had a passion for photography, shooting hundreds of weddings, events, and team pictures. He enjoyed reading history, listening to classical music, and watching old movies. Most of all, he loved his Dallas Cowboys. For the past 17 years, Ronnie worked hard to help preserve the spirit of Little Mexico with one of the largest oral and photo history exhibits in Dallas at the State Fair of Texas. In 1999, through his contributing work as a member of St. Ann's Alumni & Friends of Little Mexico, St. Ann's Parochial school became the first building of Mexican-American history to be declared a Dallas landmark. Ronnie was a devoted husband, father, brother, grandfather, tio, and son-in-law who cared for his mother-in-law for 36 years. He is survived by his wife, Leanor; 7 children, including Ron (Melissa), Leticia Levi (Andrew), Lisa Buechel (Tom), Roland (Rachel Collins), Ruben (Kari), Roger (Samantha), and Rene (Tracy); 8 siblings, including Vicky, Danny, Sylvia, Gus, Tomasa, Danice, Linda, Daniel Paul, and preceded in death by his younger brother, Tommy; 14 grandchildren; and 3 great grandsons.