Celestina Villanueva

Celestina (Tina) Villanueva was a caring sister and friend with a
loving heart. She was born to Felipe and Rita Reyna Villanueva on
April 6, 1932 at La Jara Ranch, and passed away on March 21, 2024, at
Edinburg Nursing and Rehabilation Center in Edinburg, TX.
At an early age, her mother Rita died, leaving her father with seven of
Tina's young siblings. This became an insurmountable task for Mr.
Villanueva, and Tina would subsequently find her new home and
family with Jose and Elodia Chapa of San Manuel, and their children
Joe, Yolanda, and Carola.
Tina loved spending time in the kitchen, creating delicious meals for
the family and guests, and baking apple pies which were to die for!
She rarely accepted help because she truly was a super woman who
could do it all.
She was courageous and fearless, never backing down to rattle snakes,
mean dogs, or unknowns at our front door. She was equally as generous
and caring, always putting others above herself. She served her
community willingly and devotedly. Despite her reluctance to travel,
her time at the store enabled her to meet people from near and far, all
of whom surely remember her fondly.
She never got a driver's license, but it did not keep her from getting
behind the wheel. She drove the farm truck and golf cart to and from
wherever she needed to go. That same golf cart will carry her to her
final resting place.
Tina is survived by her brothers Mateo and Apolinar Villanueva, and
other family members that include Joe and Patricia, Yolanda, Carola,
Miguel and Luz Elena, Adriana and Steven, Richie and Lorien, Javier
and Mary, Sophie, Luz Elena Ill, Natalia, Zach, Sagan, Shay and Jose.
In her spare time she gardened, read movie star magazines, watched
classic Hollywood movies, kept up with her Yankees, and listened to
her beloved Nat King Cole, even on her death bed.
Tina will be remembered by her family and friends at a Funeral Mass
to be held at St. Anne's Parish on April 1, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. She will
be laid to rest at the Family Cemetery in San Manuel, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, you may donate to St. Anne’s Parish, P.O. Box 234,
Linn, TX 78563.