Obituary— Ismael “Smiley” Villalobos
The public announcement of Ismael’s passing was delayed for family grieving and healing. Today, we, the Villalobos family, would like to share the passing of someone irreplaceable in our hearts.
Ismael “Smiley” Villalobos passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso, TX on February 19, 2022, at the age of 80 years old. He is preceded in death by many that he loved and missed, which included his parents, both siblings, two nephews, cousins, uncles/aunts, and many friends. He is survived by his loving wife of 58 years, 3 children (Victor, Veronica, and Vanessa), 5 grandchildren (Alex, Armand, Reed, Anais, and Dakota), 2 nephews, 1 niece, and 1 son-in-law.
Ismael was born in Marfa, TX on August 28, 1941. He graduated in 1959 from Van Horn High School and continued to receive a BA in Civil Engineering and Professional Land Surveying. During his secondary and college years, he played basketball for the Van Horn Eagles (2 trips to the State Basketball Finals) and he played basketball at Texas Western College of the University of Texas at El Paso (now UTEP) for Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins and played as a teammate with future Hall of Fame coach Nolan Richardson.
He worked as a professional land survey for 30+ years and contributed to his community by serving as the Justice of the Peace and the County Land Surveyor for many years. Through those years, he designed community projects and surveyed local and rural private and business properties. In addition to surveying, Ismael worked as a Civil Engineer and Project manager for many prestigious State and Private construction projects and firms.
Celebration of Life Service
The Villalobos family would like to invite those who know him to celebrate Ismael at the Van Horn First United Methodist Church, 206 W 4th St, Van Horn, TX on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at 7pm. There will be NO interment or reception following the service.
Special Thanks
The family would like to acknowledge the people of Van Horn who have been so helpful and kind over the past years. Without your support, we would not have had the extra years with our husband/father/grandfather. We would also like to personally thank Gilda Morales, NP, DC and the other doctors for going above and beyond to care for him during all of his sicknesses and the family’s life-threatening struggles with COVID-19.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. God Bless you all / Gracias y Dios te bendiga, Dru Villalobos, Veronica Villalobos and sons Alex and Armand, Victor Villalobos and daughter Anais, Donnie and Vanessa Braught and children Reed and Dakota.
