Peter Li, age 76, of Madison, Wisconsin, went peacefully in his sleep to be with the Lord on February 13, 2026.

Peter was born in Naga City, Camarines Sur, Philippines on June 10, 1949 to Tong Pek Li and Josefa Chua Li, the eldest of ten siblings. Growing up in their family’s church community, he put his faith in Jesus as a teenager and was baptized at the age of 16. From then on, much of his life was devoted to service in the church.

Gifted with a brilliant analytical mind, Peter graduated at the very top of his class at Ang Lo High School in Naga before earning his Bachelor in Engineering at Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila. He later obtained Masters in both Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, as well as a PhD in Mechanical Engineering, at the University of Iowa.

Peter met Wan Lien (Leanne) Ong before leaving for the U.S. to pursue his studies. Their relationship began over Transpacific letters written on airmail stationery. On July 2, 1977 they were married in the Philippines. Peter then returned to Iowa to complete his PhD, and a year later Leanne joined him in Dearborn, MI where he began work for Ford Motor Company, his sole place of employment for his entire career.

Peter and Leanne's three children, Lynnette, Laura, and Timothy were born in Dearborn, and about ten years later they moved to West Bloomfield. Throughout their four decades in Michigan, Peter poured his heart and energy into the community at the Chinese Bible Church of Metro Detroit, where he was an outspoken member and served as deacon and long-time choir director, coached (and vigorously played) in the volleyball ministry, and took part in multiple fellowship groups. He also eagerly invested his time and talents in many metro Detroit communities beyond church, playing in softball and volleyball leagues, singing and dancing with the Ford Chorus and the Detroit Chinese Chorale Group, and volunteering as principal of the Detroit Chinese School. Without fear or filter, he was always drawn to meet new people, no matter who they were or where they were from.

As the first family to immigrate to the States, Peter and Leanne brought their children back to the Philippines over the years. Learning to love camping while in grad school, he shared this love with the whole family, bringing them on yearly camping trips around Michigan and over the border in Canada. To Peter, there was no place within the contiguous U.S. and Canada too far to go by car, be it Orlando or Los Angeles, Montreal or Vancouver, especially if it meant meeting up with a friend or family.

Peter maintained a strong sense of connection to family despite thousands of miles of physical distance. This became easier as technology developed, but in those early years, it involved expensive phone calls timed to accommodate the 12- or 13-hour time difference. Peter loved to list his uncles, aunts, and 100+ first cousins by name, explaining their places in the family tree.

While Peter found success in his career, it was his passion for hobbies, community, and family that took center stage. He rarely mentioned his work, but he talked endlessly of his love of sports, music, and church activities, always attending his kids’ theatre, choir, and orchestra performances, piano recitals, volleyball and soccer games, swim and track meets, and jumping from one to another of a myriad of art, craft, and DIY projects. His perpetual response to needs in his home or community (failing appliances, additional bathroom, faulty air conditioning, car broken down, hair cuts, clothing alterations, airport pick ups, building and designing school theatre sets) was to jump in and do it himself.

Peter endured a massive stroke in 2009, which left him with significant physical impairment. He excelled at so many things, but receiving help was not one of them. His continued response to interventions (physical, speech, and occupational therapy) was to do it himself, his way. To those who knew him well, it was heartbreaking and infuriating to witness him lose his ability to do all the things he loved overnight: playing sports, driving, fixing things, directing the choir, helping others out. He initially tried to continue playing volleyball and badminton, which were at that point his two favorite sports, and eventually pivoted to playing ping pong as much as he could. He never quite accepted his compromised body.

Peter and Leanne traveled to Los Angeles and Chicago for the births of their first and second grandchildren, Lena (2012) and Jonah (2015), and then moved to Madison, WI in 2017 where their third and fourth grandchildren, Lexi (2017) and Kyan (2021), were born. In Madison, he enjoyed going daily to the Senior Center where he made friends and played ping pong. He loved being with his grandchildren and family. He insisted on coming along and never wanted to miss anything even when he could no longer play, or converse, or hold attention. His refusal to acknowledge his limitations often made it challenging to care for him, most of all for his wife Leanne.

For the past two years, Peter and Leanne have lived at the Vista West Senior Living community in Madison, where he bemoaned the lack of a ping pong table. Peter experienced continued physical and cognitive decline, but his spirit remained often friendly, always feisty.

Peter will be remembered for his famously big smile, his know-it-all do-it-all approach, his willingness to give of his time, energy, and expertise, his enthusiasm for sport, music, and craft, his stubbornness, his love and passion expressed more through presence and works rather than through words, and his commitment to his faith, family, and his wife. What an honor it is to have known him. He is tremendously missed.