By Bria Overs
Managing Editor
A viewing and memorial service for David Michael Villarreal, a senior health sciences major expected to graduate in May, is scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Gardena.
Villarreal, who died Feb. 10 in Whittier after being struck by a driver, was a 27-year-old San Pedro native who grew up in Torrance. He was on track to graduate in May with a degree in health sciences with an emphasis in community health.
According to a campus-wide email distributed Feb. 20 from the university’s Student Affairs Department, Villarreal had recently been accepted for an internship with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s Geographic Information System, an area of public health he hoped to work in after graduating.
“David was well known and liked by faculty and students,” according to the email, which was attributed to CSUDH Vice President William Franklin and Provost Michael Spagna. “In fact, one of the Health Science faculty conveyed: ‘Rarely do I see students express such character, integrity and love that David shared with anyone around him. It was just David – kind and caring. David is one of the most compassionate students I have had in my time at CSUDH. He was invested in other people and treated others with so much consideration. David is a gem. He’s the type of person who is genuine and understood the power of care, patience and humility.'”
A viewing will be held Thursday, Feb. 22 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a service from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A memorial is set for Friday, Feb. 23, at 11 a.m. All will be held at the Lighthouse Memorial & Reception, 1016 W. 164th St., Gardena, (310) 792-7580.
A gofundme account has also been established with the goal of helping pay for David’s funeral costs.
