Manuela "Nellie" Villanueva

Manuela Villanueva was born on February 17, 1922 to Santos and Jesus Villanueva. Manuela, known to all of her family and friends as Nellie, was raised in West, TX along with her older sisters Trinity and Maria, her younger brother, Lusiano and younger sisters Juanita and Ophelia. Nellie passed away in Irving, TX on Thursday, January 20, 2022, just 4 weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

Nellie had a strong Christian faith, was deeply devoted to her family, and loved being a business owner. She, along with her sister Trinity, opened the Tri-Nel Tailor shop in downtown Waco in 1973. Nellie loved interacting with customers, many of whom became close friends. The Tri-Nel Tailor shop was a place where folks would come in not just to get their clothes fixed, but to spend time chatting with the sisters and catching up on all of the local happenings. The two sisters spent decades happily serving the Waco community by hemming pants, embellishing quinceañera dresses, altering wedding gowns and everything in between.

She also used her sewing skills in many ways to show her love for her family, from making gorgeous gowns for her sisters, to homemade Halloween costumes for her nephews, to the many beautiful dresses for her nieces. Upon retirement, Nellie devoted her life to caring for her older sisters in their declining years until their passing. Her dedicated nephew, Jesse Tovar and his late wife, Irene, along with their children, Adam, and Mia, loving cared for Nellie in their home for many years. We take comfort in knowing that Nellie is now reunited in heaven with her parents and all of her beloved siblings. She is survived by her nephews Jesse and Randy Tovar, Marcus and Michael Lopez, her nieces Monica Nicholas and Tina Strauss, and all of her great nephews and nieces and their children.