Walter Villacreses

Douglas Walter Villacreses (known as Walter Villacreses) was born in the beautiful city of Guayaquil, Ecuador on January 15, 1940, one of five siblings born to Lydia Roca and Genaro Villacreses. Wally, which is what his siblings and close friends often called him, grew up in the coastal city of Guayaquil. As a young man his life revolved around playing his favorite sport, soccer, and his father’s bakery. It is only fitting to mention he was captivated by the beauty of a young girl who worked next to the bakery, at her mother’s boutique store. His adventurous spirit led him to sail with an uncle to the Caribbean Islands, including Chile. Upon returning, he discovers that the young girl no longer has an admirer then takes the opportunity to woo her, and thus their love story begins.

It was on November 9, 1968, Walter Villacreses and Violeta Gavilanes made a promise to love, honor and cherish each other. Walter and Violeta said good-bye to their family and friends in Ecuador and began a new life in Chicago where their six children were born and some married: Douglas Walter (Guille), Violet Margoth (Josue), Sheyla Mariela (Alberto), Blanche Maureen (Roberto), Mayra Patricia, and Warren Xavier. Walter did not know what to expect, but he was certain to put his trust in God. Walter was committed to providing for his family and for thirty years worked his first shift job at Brach’s Candy. He would come home in the evenings to eat dinner and rest for fifteen minutes only to return to his second shift job at Marshall Fields where he worked for twenty-five years. Walter found joy and made time to spend with his grandchildren: Nathan Alexander, Lexie Nicole, Jacob Noah, Jeremiah Ethan, Lorelai Grace, Lyanna Avery and Josiah Aiden.

Walter knew the value of education and the price that had to be paid to obtain it. His famous words were always "I may not be a rich man, but the best inheritance I can leave my children when I depart from this world is a solid education which will never run out and no one can take away." With each passing graduation Walter was present and proud to know that in his legacy he was leaving an engineer, business and computer professionals, educators, and a chemist. Occasionally, he returned to Ecuador to partake with his brothers and sisters that he leaves behind: Washington, Fanny, Leonardo, Kleber, Milton, Jeanette, Jaconda, Ester, Pilar, and Betty. He was very much loved among all his siblings. During his time in Ecuador, soccer was the constant excitement.

Words are not enough to fully express our love to a husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather, father-in-law and friend. Today we honor a great man who was a visionary and persevered in life with a faith in God, a faith sickness could not break. Walter passed away on March 23, 2018 surrounded by his wife and six children, a sister, a brother-in-law, and a daughter-in-law. He passed away in peace knowing that his legacy will always live on. Today our beloved Walter, is rejoicing and resting in the arms of His Creator. It would not be surprising if he’s saying a few jokes, and filling heaven with laughter and leading a team of soccer players as he did on earth.