Pablo Virumbrales

Pablo Virumbrales, of DeKalb, IL, passed away on Monday, August 10, 2026, at Arden Court in Geneva, IL. Pablo lived an extraordinary life marked by a passion for learning, education, and most importantly, his family. Pablo was born in Bilbao, Spain to Pablo and Lola Virumbrales on March 21, 1936. This was a tumultuous time in Spain as it marked the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. He grew up in Madrid and loved the Rioja region of Spain. Pablo graduated from the University of Madrid with a degree in Law and continued his education by studying at Cambridge and the Sorbonne. Following this, he returned to Madrid to be accepted into the Diplomatic School – He left the school in a sign of protest against the Franco regime in Spain. At this time, he moved to the United States to continue his studies at the Ohio State University where he completed his doctorate. During this time, he met his future wife, Nancy Schneider. They were married in 1976 and their son, Ebro, was born in 1977.

Pablo taught at the University of Missouri in Columbia, MO, at Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA, and then finally, Northern Illinois University for the remainder of his career as an educator. During his tenure at N.I.U, Pablo took several groups of students to Spain for study. Additionally, he held various symposia at N.I.U to which he invited several prominent literary scholars and political figures from Spain. Pablo retired from N.I.U after 32 years of teaching.

Pablo always embraced the possibility of lifelong learning and shared this gift with others freely and with intensity. Pablo was also an accomplished writer of several books and poems that were published in Spanish. He was a great conversationalist and educator and loved to discuss world history, philosophy, language, and politics. His knowledge was so vast and endless that sometimes, it was overwhelming, astounding, and encouraging all at the same time. He made you want to know more – and to be honest, he opened doors to a world of information for just about everyone he met. You could always see the passion he had for sharing information and ideas – it was, indeed, his calling. He did just that with students across the world.

Pablo is survived by his loving wife, Nancy, of DeKalb and his son, Ebro Virumbrales and daughter in law, Kristen Hart, of Chicago, IL; his daughter Dana Virumbrales, of Madrid, Spain, and stepdaughter, Lisa Worthington and partner, Wade Kiffmeyer, of Indianapolis, IN. Pablo was also a loving grandfather to Tyler, Brandon, Liam, Crew, and Denver Worthington, all of Marion, IN. Additionally, Pablo is survived by his brother, Jose Luis Virumbrales (Maria Antonia) and niece, Maria Virumbrales, of Madrid, Spain as well as additional extended family and friends in Spain.

Pablo will be remembered in our hearts always – he will always reside there, and we will remember him with all our love.

“Caminante, son tus huellas

el camino y nada más;

Caminante, no hay camino,

se hace camino al andar.

Al andar se hace el camino,

y al volver la vista atrás

se ve la senda que nunca

se ha de volver a pisar.

Caminante, no hay camino

sino esteles en la mar.”

~Antonio Machado