Cloudy, 30° F
(Sept. 25, 2009)
Elvira ‘Vera’ Villareal, 82, died Sept. 25 in Sacramento, Calif.
She was born Aug. 18, 1927 in Cody. She spent many years as a Powell resident until she married and moved to Sacramento in March 1956.
In her spare time, she enjoyed making homemade tortillas, tamales and chicken mole. She was heavily involved at Our Lady of Fatima School and as a member of St. Joseph’s Church from 1963 to 1973. She served as a lunch lady, field trip driver and was co-chairman of several school festivals. As part of the festivals, she made hundreds of tacos, chicken dinners and other savory foods. She was a den mother to the Cub and Boy Scout Troop 103 in North Sacramento and was an active leader in the Girl Scouts.
She later was a member of St. Philomene Church, where she gladly served in the “Sharing His Bounty” ministry to feed the homeless. She worked at A&W Family Restaurant as a cook for seven years, and when her grandchildren arrived, she traveled to the Monterey Bay area on a regular basis.
Vera greatly impacted the lives of many people, and her smile was contagious. She believed that God measures the value of our lives by the depth of our love for one another, and so she loved with a deep, profound love. Vera’s family was very important to her.
She is survived by her daughters, Gloria Y. Alvarez of Powell and Dolores Levine (Bob) of La Cañada, Calif.; son David Villareal (Anne) of Carmel Valley, Calif. and their children Nicholas, Grace and Emily Villareal; a great-grandson, Riley Edward Villareal; brothers Raymond Alvarez (Julie) of Denver and Tony Alvarez (Lola) of Cody; and step-children Dolores and Terry Hudson, Eddie and May Villareal and Marty Villareal. She is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews.
Vera was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Villareal; and her sisters, Connie Gutierrez, Rosa Alvarez and Sally Cruz.
A rosary will be held on Thursday, Oct.1 at 7 p.m. St. Philomene Church in Sacramento. A mass will be celebrated on Friday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. at St. Philomene, with burial following at Calvary Cemetery. Donations in her memory may be made to the American Diabetes Association. Arrangements are being handled by North Sacramento Funeral Home.
