Grace C. Li

November 11, 1922 - March 25, 2020

Grace C. Li, 97, passed away in her residence at Friendship Village, Chesterfield, on March 25. She was born on November 11, 1922 in Tian Jin, China to Xiang Rong Liu (mother) and Zhu Ji Li (father), and married Tao Ping Li (1920-2015) on November 20 1948. They moved to Taiwan and eventually the United States, settling in Chesterfield in 1966. Mrs. Li came from a highly educated and accomplished family in China. Her grand uncle studied in the United States at the University of Illinois and Cornell University. This was an extraordinary accomplishment considering American attitudes toward Chinese immigrants in the Nineteenth Century. Her father studied in Japan, her brother earned a Ph.D. from a university in Belgium, and her older sister earned a degree from Columbia University. Mrs. Li is a graduate of the Nursing Department of Ji-Lu University in the Shang Dong province of China. Her uncle, Zhu Jun Li, studied at Waseda University, one of the leading universities in Japan, where he studied political science. He later became one of the principal shareholders of the Jiu Da Salt Company, the largest salt manufacturer in China, and was active in the revolution against the Qing Dynasty. Mrs. Li’s mother was also involved in this revolution, which led to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the subsequent creation of the Republic of China. Mrs. Li was preceded in death by her husband, and is survived by her three children, William Li, Kenneth Li, and Linda Li-Bleuel, daughters-in-law Violet Li and Janet Mclaneli, son-in-law John Bleuel, and grandchildren Eric Li, McKenna Li, Jake Li, Erin Li, Duke Li, Lauren Bleuel, and Luke Bleuel. Mrs. Li had a warm and radiant personality, and was a joy to everyone she met. She will be remembered especially for her selfless devotion to her children and grandchildren. The extended Li family in the United States thanks Pei Ke Liu, Mrs. Li’s younger sister, and Liu Ping, niece of Mrs. Li, for their work in collecting and organizing information about the Li family in China. A Celebration of Life in honor of Mrs. Li will be announced when the Coronavirus pandemic ends.