Yu David Liu passed away on June 13, 2023, at the age of 87, in Huntsville, Alabama. He was a loving husband, caring father, and devoted Christian.
Yu was born on September 3, 1935, in Shandong Province, China. The oldest of three siblings, Yu and his family emigrated to Taipei, Taiwan where he graduated from National Cheng Kung University. Afterwards, he moved to Lubbock, Texas to pursue a post-graduate degree. It was there he met and married Theresa Ning-Ning Tsai in 1967. In 1970, they and infant daughter, Helen Zhao-Lan Liu, moved to Atlanta, Georgia, for Yu to continue his studies to obtain a Doctorate degree in Physics at Georgia Tech University.
After obtaining his doctorate degree, the family moved to Huntsville, Alabama, where he worked for the United States Army as a physicist at Redstone Arsenal. During this time, he became involved with the Chinese Bible Study Group and was baptized as a Christian. It was with this community of believers that he made some of his life-long friends. In 1979, Yu assumed a greater role with the US Army and moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he helped develop a missile guidance system for the Apache helicopter and later, the Longbow helicopter. Yu worked for the US Army until he retired in 2000, when by this time, he had returned to Huntsville.
Yu temporarily moved to Jinan, China, to teach at Shandong Economic University. His strength and love of God helped him spread the Word to young adults during the 10 years he was in China. He changed hearts and minds and loved every minute of it. It was essentially the happiest time of his life, loving God and doing what he felt he was called to do. Within this period of time, he returned to Huntsville and married Ko Hui Wu. Together as husband and wife, they returned to Jinan and continued the work Yu had started years earlier. Yu’s spiritual calling helped many more become Christians. His life was full in knowing what he was doing was for the greater good and he selflessly worked to accomplish that. After much thought and soul searching, Yu and Ko Hui returned to Huntsville for the last time in 2010 where he lived comfortably with his loving and adoring wife until his death.
Yu was preceded in death by father, Wei Gao Liu; mother, Yun Zhi Qi; sister, Mei Liu; brother, Frank Liu; and half-brothers, Fang Liu and Xin Liu. Yu is survived by his wife, Ko Hui Wu; former wife, Theresa Ning-Ning Liu; and their daughter, Helen Zhao-Lan Liu.
A funeral service is scheduled for 10 a.m. on June 24, 2023, at the Huntsville Chinese Christian Church at 2130 Metro Circle, Huntsville, AL, 35801.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Huntsville Chinese Christian Church.
