HARLINGEN — Friends yesterday remembered Juan Villarreal as a loving family man who served as a city and school board leader to give back to his community after building one of the area’s biggest dental clinics.
Villarreal, 66, died Sunday at Harlingen Medical Center.
Born and raised in Harlingen, Villarreal opened Harlingen Family Dentistry in 1983 after graduating from the San Antonio School of Dentistry following a stint in the Army, where he climbed the ranks to sergeant.
During the 1990s, Villarreal served as president of the Harlingen school board and the city’s Economic Development Corporation.
Villarreal helped launch Dentists Who Care, the mobile clinic offering free services to poor children, and pushed to open Texas State Technical College’s dental hygienist program.
Source: Villarreal, civic leader, remembered as ‘Dentist Who Cares’ / Valley Morning Star