Zion Reuben Albert

Zion Reuben Albert was born in Flint, Michigan on April 23, 1998. This sweet little thirteen-month-old child came to Priscilla Weekes and Jonathan Albert, as the first of five children, in Owosso, Michigan. At this age, Zion was unable to say one word, neither could he walk, nor even crawl. The parents were told that Zion would likely be deaf. They were also cautioned of his inability to keep down food in his stomach. He was very helpless but beautiful. For several months, Priscilla would massage and stretch each of his limbs multiple times per day; especially focusing on strengthening his thigh muscles. She additionally focused on his nutrition by feeding him a greens drink everyday and warm goat milk. Soon, he learned to crawl and then months later he learned how to walk. Shortly thereafter, he had tubes implanted into his ears followed by a surgery which changed the directional flow of his food. Zion was a gentle child who was loving, happy, and full of kisses. Every night before bed Zion would repeat one word at a time to say his prayers and then mom would play classical music on a record player for him as he fell asleep. Zion loved music and would often get on the piano, press the keys, and pretend to sing and play. He was well-behaved and loved to hug people. As Zion grew, so did the family. Two older siblings were added and one younger, within two years. They learned to play together and sing together, even in four-part harmony at special events. Zion had an affinity for memorizing Bible verses through song and also loved to make up “Sabbath songs,” which would sometimes last for seven or more minutes, during Friday night worship. Continued… Zion graduated from Spring Vale Academy in 2016 and soon after joined the army. He served in South Korea, and despite receiving medals of honor, one of his fellow comrades died while they were on duty. This led Zion in a downward spiral. After Zion left the army, he continually tried to succeed despite the trauma he had experienced. In early 2025, after several discussions with his mother, Zion realized that he needed to reconnect with God. They began praying together over the phone. Zion started reading his Bible, praying, listening to, and singing gospel music. He would feel uplifted but then something negative in his life would pop up unexpectedly. This would cause Zion to replay the feelings that growing up under the domestic violence in the home yielded (of being called a failure and of never doing anything right). Three days before he passed, his girlfriend of five years died after having heart surgery. This affected Zion in multiple ways and despite the encouragement he received from his mother and siblings, he decided to end things on November 13, 2025. Zion leaves behind his mother, Priscilla Weekes, father, Jonathan Albert, two sisters, Hadassah and Alexandria Albert, two brothers, Ezekiel Albert and Immanuel Weekes-Albert, and a little nephew, Lucas Self. He is preceded in death by his uncle David Weekes. Zion also leaves behind several aunts, Debbie Weekes, Marcia Richards, Heidi Khalil, Autumn Willess, Tabitha Boyles, a host of cousins, step-siblings, and many other relatives who loved him. Let us not allow Zion to die in vain! Let us be reminded as a community, young and old, to show care and concern for each other!

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