Anna Marie Villanueva

Anna Marie Villanueva, age 73, of Dallas, Texas, passed away on September 22, 2026. She was born in McAllen, Texas on December 6, 1952. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1971. Anna attended San Antonio College and then transferred to the University of Texas at Austin and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. She was a reporter for United Press International news service before attending the University of Southern California in Los Angeles where she received a Master of Arts degree in Communications.

She returned to San Antonio and worked as a news reporter for the San Antonio Light newspaper during the 1970s and 1980s. She also worked for various other news outlets in San Antonio and Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Anna was a brilliant writer and communicator throughout her life. She wrote poetry, stories, and snippets on various topics. She used her writing and communication skills in transitioning to various jobs.

After her journalism career, she worked as a political campaign manager in San Antonio before moving to Dallas where she worked as a legal secretary for top major law firms, for 20 years. In 2009, she started her sales career by selling leads for large corporations. In 2011, she became a direct sales agent for AAA Texas. In 2013, she became an independent sales consultant, selling healthcare and Medicare plans to individuals and selling credit card payment systems to mid-to-large-size companies. In 2016, she began selling technology products and services and developing and implementing cutting edge sales strategies and marketing tools. In October 2019, she sold both Medicare Advantage and Medicare Supplement healthcare plans as a remote agent. In February 2022, she began working for Verizon Value Brands, working in management capacity, and charged with coordinating all aspects of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). She retired at the end of 2024; however, she maintained her health insurance license, renewing it in December 2025.

Anna is survived by her son, Mark William Villanueva of Dallas; her sisters, Theresa (Tere) and Judi Pena, Lucy Blevins, husband Michael of San Antonio; her brothers, Frank Pena of San Antonio, and John Pena, wife Nannette of Springfield, Oregon; her sister-in-law, Wanda Pena of San Antonio; her nephews, Nicholas Pena of Austin, Texas, Mark Damian Pena, wife Natasha, and daughters Mikayla and Viktoria of Ruckersville, Virginia, and Nathan Pena of San Antonio; her nieces, Sara Estrada, husband J.R. of San Antonio, Bianca Pena of San Antonio, and Julia Pena of McKinney, Texas. Anna is preceded in death by her parents, Guillermo (Willie) H. Pena and Julia V. Pena and her brother, Guillermo (Bill) Manuel Pena.

A Family and Friends’ Remembrance will be held in San Antonio, at a later date. Details will be provided in a separate announcement.