Irby June English

On Saturday, November 1, 2025, Irby June Deerfield English, loving wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and sister, passed away at the age of 87.

Irby was born in Keokuk, Iowa (Lee County), on June 17, 1938. Her parents were Lewis and Jewell Ogg Deerfield. She was named for her mother’s friend Irby Clay.

Irby grew up in Montrose, Iowa, on an apple orchard on the banks of the Mississippi River. Growing up, she had a keen interest in piano and dance, and taught lessons to children in the community while in high school and college, putting on recitals each spring. She won first place in the Iowa state piano contest as a senior in high school. Irby graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College magna cum laude with a degree in elementary education and psychology. 

She came to Alva, Florida, right after college in the summer of 1960, for a job teaching at the Alva School. This was the beginning of a career teaching first, second, and third grades in Lee County for 30 years. She brightened many students’ lives, as they brightened hers. She reflected regularly and often in retirement on her many wonderful students. Over the years, Irby also gave piano and dance lessons to students in the community. She played the piano and organ first at the Alva United Methodist Church and later at the First United Methodist Church in Ft. Myers and the Edgewood United Methodist Church.

In 1963, Irby married Jim English in the Alva United Methodist Church. With their son, Trey, they built a happy home. She and Jim shared 57 years of marriage, until his passing in 2020.

Irby was preceded in death by her husband, Jim; her parents, Jewell and Lewis Deerfield; and her brother, Dick. She will be lovingly remembered by her son, Trey (Sangeeta); her two grandsons, Daniel and Nathaniel; and her nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, and many dear friends.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on November 17, 2025, at the Alva Methodist Church, 21440 Pearl Street, Alva, FL 33920. Burial will follow at Alva Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church before the service from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, those wishing to send a token of affection consider donating to one of Irby’s valued causes, the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida. Donations can be made online at harrychapinfoodbank.org.