Maria Estela Villarreal

Maria Estela Villarreal, 74, of Sherrard, passed away July 4, 2025, surrounded by her family. She was affectionately known as Mrs. V.

Funeral Mass will be held, 10 a.m. Friday July 11, 2025, Christ the King Catholic Church in Moline. Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. Thursday July 10, 2025, at Esterdahl Mortuary & Crematory, Ltd., Moline with a Rosary to be recited at 3:30 p.m. Burial will be at Greenview Memorial Gardens, East Moline. The luncheon will be at Divine Mercy Parish Hall (Our Lady of Guadalupe) in Silvis. Memorials may be made to the Moline Public Schools Foundation for the Bilingual Program.

Maria was born on July 19, 1950, in Moline, the daughter of Emmanuel T. and Luz-Maria (Godinez) Sierra. She married Jesus Villarreal on July 20, 1968, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in East Moline. She had been employed as a schoolteacher for the Moline-Coal Valley School District, retiring in 2007, after 37 years.

She had a passion for teaching children and was one of the first bilingual educators in the Quad Cities area to help begin the Bilingual Education Program in the Moline-Coal Valley School District. She was instrumental in bringing to life a computer lab for families and parents to develop their English. She also worked tirelessly for the betterment of migrant children’s education in our area. Maria was recognized for her efforts in 1990, 1999, and 2002 by the school district and the Q.C. Higher Education Committee.

Maria was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Moline and attended St. Pius X Catholic Church in her later years, and was a devout catholic being a Eucharistic Minister.

She is survived by her husband, Jesus; daughters, Maria A. Villarreal of St. Petersburg, FL, Rebecca (Raymond) Miller of Milan, Marina (James) Villarreal-Schmitz of Davenport; son, Jesus A. (Lorena) Villarreal of Rock Island; grandchildren, Maria “Rosi”, Miguel, Alicia, Sierra, Alexis, Mason, Gabriel, Daniel; 8 great grandchildren; siblings, Luis, Henry, George, Maria Del Rosario, Barbara, and Alejandro.

She was preceded in death and welcomed by her parents and brothers, Eduardo, Joseph and Gilbert Sierra.

Memories may be shared online by visiting esterdahl.com.