Juanita was born on October 11, 1955 in San Antonio, Texas to Liria Villarreal and Refugio Maciel.
History: Juanita was the second oldest out of eleven siblings, who considered her a mother as well. She began her relationship with Christ after her sister’s Anna Marie passing. Juanita was a single mother who worked hard to provide for her daughters. She took great honor in raising her two daughters to be successful, respectable women and unyielding Believers in Christ.
Her youngest daughter, Velia, works for a notable corporation, her tenacity is what she inherited from her mom. Juanita was a proud, active band parent for Velia while she attended Highlands High School. There was no limit when it came to helping Velia while she was raising chickens in the FFA. Velia followed in her mother’s footsteps in working through achieving a college degree in the field of business accounting. Juanita was able to walk her daughter down the aisle when she married her husband, Brett.
Her oldest daughter, Sonia, proudly served as a Combat Medic in the U.S. Army. Having served at Fort Bragg and Fort Hood, Juanita never lost sight of being close to her daughter’s side. Sonia and Jason have been married for 23 years. Jason is a notable Timber Framer carpenter with his own business and Sonia has been a teacher in Texas and Mississippi for 13 years.
When it came to Audrey, Katherine and Joshua, there wasn’t any obstacle that kept her away from her precious grandchildren. Juanita lived and breathed for her grandkids. She attended Audrey’s softball games and track meets, Katherine’s track and cross country meets, and Joshua’s baseball and football games in Boerne ISD. Juanita was so dedicated to her grandchildren’s sports that she would run with Katherine during her marathon’s around Texas.
Many years ago, when Audrey was around 13 years old, she wrote a personal Christmas card to her grandmother. In it Audrey summed up her grandmother perfectly, “Happy Holidays to the most strong, independent, hard-working, God loving woman...You mean the world to me and more. We have so many memories together. Technically you're old, but you never aged. You're still able to workout and drive us kids around when we need something and have like 20 jobs on top of that. I don’t know any other Grandma who does that. I love spending time with you and listening to what you have to say. Can’t wait for our date together, Love you, Audrey.”
Juanita is survived by; daughter Sonia Schoch (Jason); and daughter Velia Ann Zapadinsky (Brett); mother Liria Villarreal; sister Anita, sister Victoria, sister Martha, sister Virginia, brother Gabriel and no living sister in-law; granddaughter Audrey, granddaughter Katherine, grandson Joshua. Juanita had countless close friends in Christ, to name a few: Sylvia Damuth, Jeanine Owens, Larry Lewis, Sue Gross, Hope Lopez, Judith Bell, the Naomi & Ruth cell group and all the tribes of Cornerstone Church.
Juanita was preceded in death by; father Refugio Maciel; sister Anna Marie; sister Alicia; brother Nune; brother Rudy and brother Julio and sister-in-law Sylvia Maciel.
A receiving family and friends for Juanita will be held Wednesday, June 3, 2020 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Cornerstone Church, 18755 Stone Oak Pkwy, San Antonio, TX 78258. The Funeral Service will occur Wednesday, June 3, 2020 12:00 PM by Pastor Boots Levine, followed by a graveside service at 2:00 PM at Sunset Memorial Park, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX 78218.
