Xue Hua Li

Xue Hua Li of Pensacola, Florida passed away on Wednesday, April 9th, 2025, at the age of 59. She was born on March 15th, 1966, in Taishan, China where she grew up in a small village with her sister, brother, and parents. She was raised with deep-rooted family values that stayed with her throughout her life. She eventually immigrated to the United States and exemplified the American Dream where she started her own family and successfully established her sons’ paths to success.

She worked various restaurant jobs upon immigrating until eventually she met and married her husband and ended up becoming the manager of Hong Kong Restaurant in Pensacola, Florida for over 20 years. She then became the manager and owner of Brickery’s Grill once Hong Kong closed. In addition to working tirelessly in her career, she was also a very committed, and unwavering, and loving Mother.

She was actively involved in gardening when she was not actively tending to the restaurants as she loved growing her own vegetables and fruits; and she also loved her Chinese Soap Operas.

She is preceded in death by her father Reng Wang Li.

She is survived by her husband, Wen Qing Zhang, and her 2 sons, Justin and Andy Zhang; as well as her sister, Lan Hua Li, and her brother, Wei Jun Li.

She loved to get to know all her customers on a personal level, especially the regulars; and she would treat all her employees like family. Her generous heart would often share free meals with them whenever they seemed like they needed a pick-me-up. Xue Hua Li, better known by her peers as Shirley, was always a joy and would brighten up anybody’s day with even the smallest of interactions.

She worked very hard every single day to make sure her two sons were well set up for the future. She was very humble and saved every single penny she could to ultimately help her sons reach their goals and dreams someday. She was a loving person who always put others first and would help anybody without hesitation, no matter the situation. She was a very smart lady who learned English on her own and successfully ran a business with no formal training. She paved the way for her family and future generations to carry on her legacy. Although she is gone way too soon, she was a joy and inspiration to everybody that met her and will live on in their hearts and memories forever.

The family would like to thank the Baptist Hospital nurses and doctors (ER, ICU, and Comfort Care) for the care and compassion they showed our loved one in her final days. Additionally, the Select Medical Rehab Center took care of her throughout her last couple weeks of life while making them as joyous as possible for her, and we thank them sincerely for their tireless work throughout all the long days and nights.

A visitation for Xue will be held Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Bayview Fisher-Pou Chapel, 3351 Scenic Highway 90e, Pensacola, FL 32503. A funeral service will occur Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 11:00 AM. A committal service at Bayview Memorial Park will occur immediately after.