GENOVEVA “Beva” FRANCO. VILLARREAL was born on July 31, 1931 in Laredo, Texas to Enrique and Francisca Franco.

Genoveva F. Villarreal lived a life defined by faith, family, love, and extraordinary strength.

Born during the depths of the Great Depression and one of the most challenging periods in our nation’s history, Genoveva came into a world that demanded resilience. That strength became one of the defining qualities of her remarkable life. Through more than ninety-five years of change, hardship, happiness, loss, and celebration, she endured with a strength and determination that those who loved her will never forget.

She was, above all else, a devoted mother and the heart of her family.

Genoveva adored her two sons Juan Ramon and Marco Antonio and there was little in this world more important to her than the family she loved so deeply. Through good times and difficult ones, she was the person her family could depend upon. When life became uncertain, she remained steadfast. When others needed strength, she somehow found enough to give them hers. She carried her family through thick and thin with a resilience that seemed almost without limit.

Her strength was not loud or boastful. It was the strength of a woman who simply kept going, kept believing, kept loving, and kept caring for the people entrusted to her.

That devotion extended across generations. Genoveva lovingly cared for her own mother, Francisca Franco, until her passing in 1993, demonstrating through her actions what family meant to her. The same devotion she gave to her mother was also poured into her sons, her grandchildren, and the generations that followed. Her grandchildren, Mark Anthony, Jonathan Ray, Justin Rey, and her great-grandchildren, Hailey, Sarah, Mariah, Jesse and great-great-grandson Luca, great-great-granddaughter Florence Genevieve Villarreal, born July 2024,who carries her name forward, while another grandchild, Emilia, is expected in October 2026. To have her legacy continue into another generation of her family is a beautiful chapter in an already extraordinary life.

Her Catholic faith was at the foundation of who she was. A devout Catholic throughout her life, Genoveva found strength, comfort, and purpose in her relationship with God. Her faith sustained her through life’s trials and accompanied her through its many blessings. It was not simply something she practiced; it was woven into the way she lived, loved, persevered, and cared for others.

Yet Genoveva did not merely endure life—she loved life.

She found happiness in the simple things that made a life rich: tending her garden, singing in the choir, spending time at the senior center, laughing and visiting with her circle of friends, and being surrounded by the people she loved. She understood the importance of friendship and community and continued embracing both throughout her later years. She was known in the neighborhood for her famous “ leche quedamada and peanut butter candy” which neighborhood kids grew up with.

And then there was her smile.

Her family will remember that smile and the unmistakable sound of her laughter. Those are among the things that cannot be replaced and will be missed beyond words—the expressions of a woman who had experienced nearly a century of life and still knew how to find joy within it.

Genoveva witnessed a world transform before her eyes. She lived through eras that younger generations know only from history books. She experienced hardship and prosperity, tremendous social and technological change, births and deaths, beginnings and endings. Through it all, the constants in her life remained her faith, her family, and her remarkable strength.

Ninety-five years cannot adequately be captured by dates on a page.

Her true life story lives in the people she raised, the family she held together, the sacrifices she made, the faith she carried, the traditions she passed down, and the countless memories left behind.

Her sons and family will carry more than memories of Genoveva forward. They carry her within them. Her strength, resilience, faith, and love have become part of the generations that follow her. They live in her sons, her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and in generations of the Villarreal family still to follow.

The family has lost an extraordinary mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and matriarch. Her absence will be deeply felt, and her smile and laughter will be immensely missed.

But a woman who gave so much of herself to her family never truly leaves them.

Genoveva F. Villarreal’s remarkable journey on this earth ended on August 16, 2026, but the strength with which she lived it will continue through her bloodline, her faith will remain an example to those she leaves behind, and her love will live endlessly in the memories of those fortunate enough to call her family.

Her life was long. Her faith was steadfast. Her strength was extraordinary. And her love for her family was immeasurable. She will be loved, remembered, and missed beyond words.

Mrs. Genoveva F. Villarreal is preceded in death by her parents Enrique and Francisca Franco, siblings: Ricardo (Esther+) Franco, Manuel (Rosa+) Franco, Ramon (Lupita+) Franco. She is survived by her sibling (sister) Julia (Jesus+) Gonzalez, her two sons Juan R. (Sara) Villarreal and Marco Antonio (Katharina) Villarreal, her grandchildren Mark Anthony (Tiffany), Jonathan Ray, Justin Rey, Nadia (Jesse) Montes; great-grandchildren: Hailey, Mariah, Sara (Mark) and Jesse; great-great-grandson Luca, great-great-granddaughter Florence Genevieve, and nieces and nephews.

Viewing and memorial services will be held at the  Hernandez Lopez and Sons Funeral Chapels located  on 800 Boston Street, Laredo, Texas on Thursday August 20, 2026. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 9:00 pm. and a Vigil of the Deceased and Rosary will be held at 7:00 p.m. Funeral Services will begin on Friday, August 21, 2026  departing in Procession at 8:30 a.m.  from the funeral home to San Luis Rey Church 3502 Sanders Ave. Holy Mass will be celebrated at 9:00 a.m. Committal Services will be held at a later date.

Honorary Pallbearers: Juan R Villarreal, Marco Villarreal, Mark Villarreal, Jonathan Villarreal, Gerardo Gonzalez, Luis Gonzalez, Oscar Gonzalez, and Juan Gonzalez.

A special thanks to Champion Health Care and their amazing staff for their unwavering support, Palmira,Mari, Olivia, Rita, Michaela and Vicky.