Shuzhen Theresa Zhou, age 88, of Kentwood, Michigan and formerly of Jinan, China, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 16, 2024.

Theresa was born on October 26, 1935 in Jining, China, the youngest of four daughters. She graduated with a degree in Physics in 1960 from Shandong Normal University and went on to enjoy a successful career as a Physics teacher and later at a science research institute. She was one of only a small number of women who graduated from Shandong Normal University during that era. She retired in 1997 and spent her retirement working as a missionary for a Catholic community in Jinan, and helping to raise her three granddaughters in the United States.

It was at Shandong Normal University where she met the love of her life, Dayuan Xu, in 1956. They were married on January 28, 1962 and went on to have three sons. She joined her youngest son, Peter Sining Xu, in the United States after he immigrated to pursue his graduate education. Her three granddaughters were a great joy to her, and she enjoyed caring for them very much.

Theresa was a faithful woman, spending as much time at church in prayer as possible. She gave generously to missionaries in China, and even helped build a mission church in Jining, China. She also loved to make dumplings, and the time spent with her rolling out the dough and pinching them together just right will be missed.

She is preceded in death by her oldest son, Difei Xu, as well as her parents and her three older sisters. She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Dayuan Xu, her sons, Dixin Xu of Jinan China and Peter Sining Xu of Caledonia, Michigan, her daughter-in-law Donielle Xu and her three granddaughters, Sophia Xu, Heidi Xu and Charlotte Xu.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 11 am, with visitation and a rosary starting at 10 am at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church 1253 52^nd St. SE Kentwood, MI, with Father Peter Vu officiating. Interment will take place in McNitt Cemetery in Conklin, MI. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church 1253 52^nd St. SE Kentwood MI 49508.