Christine Carol Irbe

Christine (Chris) Carol Irbe, 60, passed away suddenly on August 26th, 2025. Christine was born in Illinois on September 17th, 1964, to parents Gerald and Sharon Essington. Shortly after, they moved to Greenfield, Indiana, where she spent most of her childhood. Christine attended Greenfield-Central High School and then went on to attend college at Butler University. She married Douglas Irbe on September 2nd, 1989. She spent the majority of her adult life in Greenfield, where she enjoyed spending time with her family, planning amazing vacations, coaching her children’s sports teams, and working at Brand and Morelock LLC law firm for 21 years. After their children were grown, Christine and her husband, Douglas, moved to Mandeville, Louisiana, in 2021, where they enjoyed the warm weather and delicious food for the past four years.

Christine was a standout athlete in both her high school and collegiate career. In high school, Chris was a varsity athlete in track and field (holding the high jump record for decades), basketball, and volleyball. Christine broke numerous records during her high school and collegiate athletic careers at Greenfield-Central and Butler University. Christine was a collegiate four-year letterwinner, team captain (1987), and Butler Most Valuable Player (1987). Christine was inducted into both the Greenfield-Central High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Butler University Athletic Hall of Fame.

During Christine’s adult life, she devoted a significant amount of time to volunteering. Christine was a proud member of Tri-Kappa, an Indiana-only philanthropic sorority, where she served as Tri-Kappa Chairperson for the Kenneth L. Butler Soup Kitchen Outreach Program.

Christine thoroughly enjoyed working in administration for the St. Tammany Parish Fire Department District #4. Her colleagues described her as “Someone who always got the work done. Even if she did not know how to solve it, she would figure it out.” Christine loved to travel, try new restaurants, read, garden, shop, and spend time with her family.

Christine is survived by her husband, Douglas Irbe; their three children, Ethan (Dariah Rice) Irbe, Mason Irbe, and Rachel (Elijah) Diehr; her first grandchild, Tatum (parents Ethan and Dariah); and her mother, Sharon Essington. Christine was preceded in death by her father, Gerald Essington, and her father-in-law, Visvaldis Irbe, and mother-in-law, Leah Irbe.

A private family service will be held at a later date with the immediate family. In place of flowers, please send donations to the Kenneth L. Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen or District #4 Mandeville Fire Department of St. Tammany Parish.

Links to donating can be found below:

Kenneth L. Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen: https://kbmsk.org/donate/

Mandeville Firefighters Association 3704: P. O. Box 587 Mandeville, La. 70470 Or Venmo @firefightersassociation or the link is as follows:

https://venmo.com/code?user_id=3491841177552676332&created=1756578623.870791&printed=1