Father Guillermo Treviño, a beloved priest known for his deep faith, infectious humor, and unwavering commitment to the immigrant community, passed away on October 31, 2025, shortly after returning from Rome. His journey—from a spirited child in Moline’s Floreciente neighborhood to a priest who inspired countless lives—left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him.
A Life of Faith, Joy, and Service
By Tar Macias
I first met Father Guillermo Treviño—Memo, as his friends and family called him—when he was just three years old. I was a sixteen-year-old high school student working odd jobs to make a living. One of those jobs was maintaining some apartments on Seventh Street in Moline, Illinois, above the local Mexican store where I also worked from time to time.
Memo was a little ball of energy—a “little menace,” as I liked to tease him. I still remember painting the kitchen of his family’s apartment when he tried to grab the paint tray, startling me so badly that I fell off the table I was standing on. Years later, I told him, laughing, “You almost killed me that day!”
While working downstairs at the store, I often saw him and kept a watchful eye on that mischievous little boy, who always seemed to be up to something.
A few years later, Memo’s life changed forever. He lost his father at just 14. He would later tell us that this was a turning point in his faith.
“My faith journey started on that day,” he said. “I lost it—my dad was gone. My Boy Scout master told me, ‘It’s OK to be mad at God. He can take it.’ I was so mad, so sad, but I needed to let it out. No one that day would have ever envisioned a Catholic priest, but from then on, I tried to enjoy every moment as if it were my last.”
Those were difficult years for young men growing up in Moline’s West End. Gang activity was high, and too many of our childhood friends were lost to violence or drugs. Statistically, Memo’s chances of falling into that life were high. But he chose a different path.
The next time our paths crossed in a meaningful way was when Memo was a student at Black Hawk College. He dreamed of becoming a journalist, and by then, I had already founded Hola America News. His college professor asked me to give him an internship, and I did. The “little menace” was gone—replaced by a young man full of drive and curiosity.
My brother and I took him under our wing. He was kind, eager to learn, and full of potential. Like us, he just needed good mentors and a bit of guidance.
Photo by Tar Macias / Hola America Photo Archives
At that time, Memo had two great ambitions: to become either the President of the United States or a Catholic priest. He applied to the seminary in the Diocese of Peoria but was rejected. Disappointed but determined, he applied again—this time to the Diocese of Davenport in Iowa—and was accepted.
I used to joke with him, “We didn’t do too bad for two kids from the Floreciente neighborhood.”
Memo and I bonded over our shared love for wrestling, Marvel and DC movies, and sports. He never hid his enthusiasm, and that’s what made him so special—he connected with people through genuine joy and curiosity.
As the years went by, we stayed close. I celebrated his graduation from seminary and proudly attended his ordination. We continued our back-and-forth about Marvel movies—discussing whether we liked them and how many end-credit scenes there were. After watching Captain Marvel in 2019, I messaged him, asking if any of the actors looked familiar. I told him that one of them, Algenis Perez Soto, had been the lead in Sugar, a baseball movie filmed in Davenport back in 2007—one he had covered as a young journalist for Hola America, and he had even interviewed the actor.
We messaged almost daily—sharing funny memes, checking in, or asking each other for advice. The last time I saw him was on October 14, when he came to Des Moines for the Paul McCartney concert. We met at his favorite local spot, Tasty Tacos. He was wearing his Yellow Submarine Crocs, laughing about how surreal it was to see McCartney one week and then have an audience with the Pope in Rome the next. “How can I top that?” he joked. My wife Erika asked him for a blessing, and he gave us one right there.
He looked tired that day, and so did I. We blamed it on the stress of everything happening in our community. I’m grateful we saw him, hugged him, took a photo together, and received his blessing.
On Oct. 31, 2025, Father Guillermo Treviño died from complications of undiagnosed diabetes, the disease that also took his father and sent him on his career path.
Thank you, Padre Memo—for your faith, your friendship, and your tireless service to our community. Thank you for living life to the fullest, for bringing joy to everyone you met, and for reminding us all to cherish every moment. We love you and we will miss you!
Photo by Erika Macias / Hola Iowa
Funeral services and Mass of Christian Burial for Fr. Guillermo will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, November 7, 2025 at Sacred Heart Cathedral, 422 E. 10th Street, Davenport. The Mass will be livestreamed by clicking the following link: Sacred Heart Cathedral YouTube . Burial will be in the Priest Circle at Mt. Calvary Cemetery, Davenport. Visitation will be held from 4 until 7 p.m. Thursday, November 6, 2025 at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 107 W. 6th Street, West Liberty, Iowa with the rosary prayed at 6 p.m. followed by a vigil service. There will be additional visitation Friday from 9 until 11 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral. There will be Nobena offered for nine days beginning Saturday at St. Joseph, West Liberty. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family to establish a memorial at a later date. Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
Mantente informado con las historias que importan — visita HolaAmericaNews.com para conocer las últimas noticias, cultura y actualization’s de la comunidad.
Facebook Comments