Steven LeRoy Villarreal
Steven LeRoy Villarreal went to be with his Lord and Savior on, September 29, 2023. He was born in Houston, Texas, on December 22, 1967. Steven was greatly loved by his parents, LeRoy and Irene Villarreal, his brother, Joseph Villarreal and his sister-in-law, Angela. He was adored by Abby and Ethan Villarreal, his niece and nephew.
Steven was funny, witty, loud, emphatic, always spoke his mind and could be very intimidating with his sharp and extraordinary vocabulary. He loved to cook, listen to music, and watched his favorite Star Wars, Star Trek and Deep Space Nine episodes repeatedly. PBS, NOVA, and NPR were his go to programs, with a keen interest in historical documentaries. He was passionate about holidays and took great pride in preparing the family feasts, particularly his delectable turkey and dressing. His love of pottery and ceramics was demonstrated in the many pieces he created and hand cast himself, with a special love for Raku. He was fascinated by the process that created such color and beauty.
A consummate intellectual, at an early age, Steven was very serious about his education. He was especially proud of his success in debate, science, physics and mathematics. An avid reader, he would research, analyze and dissect any subject he delved into. His many awards and recognitions in high school earned him a position in the National Honor Society, a National Merit Scholar Award, and he was also selected to attend Boy’s State.
His hard work paid off, he was accepted twice to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. First, as a sixteen-year-old into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineering Program (MITES), secondly, as a college student at MIT. He was a dedicated participant in Project Athena, a project partnered by MIT, IBM and Digital Equipment Company to provide computer workstations for students working on aerospace engineering, language learning, educational projects and much more. A project he thoroughly embraced. He was enormously grateful at being afforded the opportunity to attend MIT.
At the age of 17, he acquired his first job, at IBM. His knowledge, creativity and ingenuity allowed him to be part of the team developing the RISC architecture for the new IBM 4341 processor. An opportunity that opened a new world for him. Consequently, he was engaged with Apple Computer as a developer.
Steven was a strong believer and gave all the glory to his Lord Jesus Christ. He was rooted in faith. One of his favorite sayings was, “it’s only by the Grace of God we survive all life hands us”.
Always an optimist, he gave a willing and helping hand to everyone, wherever he could, particularly in the computer arena, being an expert in hardware and software.
Steven is cherished and loved by his surviving relatives, grandfather, Raymond Mancha, his many aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, extended family, colleagues and acquaintances. He will be profoundly missed by all. His passing leaves an ache in our hearts and……
“AS THE WIND BLOWS, SO SHALL WE REMEMBER”
Steven’s life will be celebrated with family and friends on Saturday, October 7 from 1-6 PM at the Crowder Funeral Home in Pearland, Texas.
Rite of Committal and rosary from 2-3 PM.
My condolences to the family Villarreal do you know Irene I love you very much and I hate to see what you’re going through but my prayers go out to all of you may God keep you strong
I loved Steven and all his quirks. He was the best of friends. Always committed to helping and serving others especially during the worst of times. We always talked about his love for his family and how much he loved them. We considered ourselves to be the poster children for ADHD and laughed about how much we could do at the same time and all the creative ideas we had.
Steven was instrumental in helping me write my first book and I was happy to share the writing experience with him.
After my husband passed Steven was there for me helping me with litigation and support for me and my family in every way. Whenever I was hired to speak or keynote, Steven was the one I would practice with to make sure my message was clear and concise. I will miss you every day my friend.
You will truly be missed my dear cousin, your corkyness and your willingness to always try and help other’s ❤️ rest in paradise with our Father God love you.
Rest in peace mijo, your radiant smile and charismatic personality will never be forgotten, love you always.
Aunt Mona I would like to say my deepest Sympathy and Condolences..
Yes Steven Was! a Wonderful Person who always had time to listen
To my troubles what ever they may have been we talked a lot on the phone he was very Caring and Good to me and l Loved Him Very Much So! And I will Surely Miss You My Nephew Steven…. *
Amen ❤️ 🙏 ❤️
May Steven’s family,friends and community celebrate his awesome life’s achievements and memories he was blessed to have and share with us. Thank you God for Steven’s life on earth and now with You.
Love n prayers from your family in Helotes
My dear cousin,
It was your incisive intellect that impressed me, but it was your kind, loving spirit that moved me. Your infectious laugh will remain in my heart forever. Keep our grandparent’s company until we meet again. Love you and miss you dearly!
-Laura and Chris Klein
I am saddened to here of the passing of Steven. I know I can’t make your pain go away, but I ‘am here for you Irene.
Celebrating the life of a wonderful man and mourning his passing with you. There are no words for the legacy he has left on your family. His shining personality will be in our hearts for the rest of our life.
Keeping the Villarreal family in my thoughts and prayer during this though time.
Leroy and Irene my love and heart goes out to you and entire family. I wish I could do something to make this time easier. Sending hugs.
Our dear sweet cousin,
We are saddened to see you go so young. You have touched so many people with your kindness, your laughter, your Intelligence, and your love. We will truly miss you and will keep you in our hearts, until we meet again. Rest and enjoy your time with your god-mother in heaven. Love you dearly.
Steven was a great friend. He and I would talk about every or every other day. I am going to miss those conversations. Prayers for him and his whole family.
My deepest condolences for the loss of an amazingly intellectual man who was passionate about everything he took interest in. May He rest in loving arms of Our Creator and Savior. Your funny ways and your dramatic personality will be missed by many, but especially me, cause you always treated me like family. God Bless you Steven.🙏🏼
I met my cousin Steven for the first time a few days before he passed. In spite of my shock, I am privileged to have had those few hours in his amazing presence. And he WAS a presence. When I think of him, I can only smile. That’s the kind of effect he had me. God is taking care of him now and I’m sure He’s smiling as well. May God help those of us left behind to understand why He called Steven to His side. ❤️
I’m truly sorry for your loss! May He rest in peace and may the peace of Christ be with all of he family!
Cynthia Moreno
So sorry for your loss, we will miss him greatly definitely an irreplaceable person.
I am so so sorry for your lost . My most sincere condolences to the family. He will truly be missed by everyone he come across with. He was light in a dark room
Always made everyone laugh. My heart aches he was such a good friend.
Joseph , Angela , Mrs Irene , Mr Leroy , twins and family I am so sorry for your lost.
You will all be in my prayers .
Rest easy buddy.
Steve was my advisor, mentor, confidant, cooking consultant and above all else he is and forever will be my friend. We prayed, had lengthy deep conversations, occasionally disagreed, got on each others nerves, laughed richly and wholeheartedly with, at and for each other. There were never any subjects that were “out of bounds”. Some folks thought us loud and boisterous at times. We accepted each other unconditionally and without expectation. The countless phone calls in the wee hours of the morning, lol, it didn’t matter whether I was awake or asleep, if it was Steve I answered, if I could help I did, and he likewise would reciprocate when I was the one calling. I will continue to move forward as he and I agreed we would which ever one of us went first, but it’s not fair, I’m older, I expected to go first, he was supposed to handle my affairs when I go. Yet still, I will keep my promise to Steve and continue praying daily for his family, his parents in particular who are so good and kind. He so wanted his niece and nephew to succeed and wanted to be a part of their education path to become successful. Having had no children of his own, they are dear to him. Although sometimes misunderstood, “too smart for his own good” he had a heart of gold, was an excellent conversationalist and had a brilliant sense of humor. I miss you so much already my dear friend.
Our condolences to the Villarreal family. May our Lord give you peace, knowing that Steven is in a better place. Our prayers to you and all the family at this difficult time.