Ruben Juan Villarreal was born on April 26, 1948 to Juan and Lucy Villarreal in Robstown, Texas. He was raised in the Irving, Texas area through his school-aged years. Upon turning 17, Ruben joined the US Army in 1965, as a Combat Engineer. He was part of a second generation of three that performed service on behalf of the country in uniform. (His Father served in the US Army Air Corps; he and his brother Johnny served in the US Army; his son, Edward served in the US Army). He served tours at Fort Polk, LA; Fort Dix, NJ; and Hanau, Germany. He completed his service in 1968 and returned to civilian life the United States.
Ruben was trained by his father as a carpenter and had several different entrepreneurial ventures in the auto and contracting industries. His career and passion for traveling took him and his family many places, including the Pacific Northwest. Returning to Texas, he settled in South Texas in Kingsville and Bishop, Texas. Later in life, he moved to the Northeast Texas area and the Dallas Metroplex area, before ultimately settling in Sherman, TX. After a lengthy battle with cancer, he passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, the 22nd of March, 2020.
Ruben enjoyed spending time with family and reminiscing about adventures from the past. His gregarious nature endeared him to family and strangers alike. He took pride in knowing his sons and granddaughter graduate from college.
Surviving Ruben are:
His Wife of 18 years: Martha Villarreal
His Brothers: Armando and Johnny Villarreal
His Sisters: Angie Aranda, Lydia Hinojosa, Melissa Tapia, Melinda Gonzalez
His Children: Edward Villarreal and Michael Villarreal; Hector and Sergio Cavazos
His Grandchildren: Carolina Villarreal; Sorelle and Ray Gonzalez
He was preceded in leaving this Earth by his son, David Villarreal
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