I-Chen Theresa (Ho) Hsu, 79, of Briarcliff Manor, NY, passed away on March 18, 2026, with her two daughters by her side at Phelps Hospital. She was born on September 25, 1946, in Hejia Village, Dao County, Hunan Province, China, to LungYing Liang and George KC Ho. In December 1949, I-Chen, her younger sister, her pregnant mother, and her father retreated to Taiwan with the Kuomintang Army led by Chiang Kai-Shek. The family settled in Taipei, where three more sisters and two brothers joined the family. I-Chen attended National Taiwan University and earned a Bachelor's degree in Chinese Literature. There, she met her husband, Cheng Laurens Hsu. They both continued their graduate studies at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN, where they married and where I-Chen completed her master's degree in guidance and counseling. After graduating, they moved to Syracuse, NY, where their two daughters were born. I-Chen worked as a social worker for Catholic Charities and then as a counselor at Syracuse University. After she and her husband parted ways, she became a guidance counselor at Henninger High School. There, she met Garrett Kearney, an English teacher who became her devoted partner until his passing in September 2019. After retiring, I-Chen moved to Briarcliff Manor to live with her daughter, Christine, and son-in-law, Douglas Rohde, where she played a central role in raising their three children.

In addition to caring for her three grandchildren, she enjoyed singing with the Northern Westchester Chinese School Chorus and taking exercise classes at Club Fit in Briarcliff Manor. She was a devoted student of Scripture in both Chinese and English and lived her life deeply rooted in faith. She was active in the Trinity Presbyterian Church and the Chinese Community Church of Westchester communities. She was a deeply loving mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend whose presence shaped the lives of those around her. She was also a second mom and a trusted counselor to many.

I-Chen is survived by her daughter, Christine Hsu Rohde, her son-in-law, Douglas L. Rohde, and their children, Madeline, Sebastian, and Nathaniel, in Briarcliff Manor, NY, and her youngest daughter, Chiao-ju Grace Shapiro, her son-in-law, Michael D. Shapiro, and their children, Talia and Noah, in Winston-Salem, NC. Her surviving siblings include her sister, Er-Jen Jennifer Lee; her sister, Sanchen Patricia Chou; her brother, Robert Ho; her sister, Shih-Jen Kathy Ho; and her brother, Bruce Ho. She was preceded in death by her partner, Garrett P. Kearney; her mother, LungYing Liang; her father, George KC Ho; her ex-husband, Cheng Laurens Hsu; and her sister, Meijun Zha.

Flowers are welcome, or memorial gifts may be directed to either The Parkinson's Foundation or the Cancer Research Institute.