Alex Irish - 7/19/25

Today we gather with heavy hearts as we mourn the death of Alex Irish. We find ourselves struggling to make sense of all that has transpired over the last week, because everything about this situation just feels wrong. But in the times when we least understand what is happening, our best response is to look to the Lord for comfort and strength.

I wish I could share with you a Bible verse today that would make sense of what seems senseless to us. Unfortunately, there’s no verse that explains why these things have happened. What I can offer you is the hope that God is still in control. In Ecclesiastes, we read these words,

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, NLT)

I’m not sure why things have happened as they have, but I am confident that the Lord was not surprised, and His plans and promises have not failed. As we wrestle with these questions today, I would remind you of another verse in Psalm 34,

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18, NLT)

Today, we desire and frankly, need the help and strength that only God can provide. So let’s seek His face in prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, we confess to being confused by Alex’s death. Everything about this just seems so wrong. We do not understand and our hearts ache with loss. So today we lean on you, the One who understands, and the One who offers us His comfort. Please surround this family and these friends with your strength, comfort, and peace today. Give them hope in the midst of a seemingly hopeless time—help them to find the hope that is available in You alone. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Alex Irish was born April 7, 1991 in Keokuk, Iowa, the son of Mark D. and Patricia C. (Magee) Irish. He graduated from Illini West High School in 2009. Following high school, he received his associate’s degree in Automotive Technology. He was also a Certified Welder and had his Commercial Driver’s License. He owned and operated his own mechanic shop, County Line Race & Repair. He also drove a semi over-the-road and locally and worked for local farmers. His hobbies centered around his mechanical ability, even in his off-time he could be found working on anything with a motor or helping friends with their mechanical needs. He enjoyed attending tractor pulls, races, playing guitar, riding four wheelers, hunting and just being outdoors.

Alex loved being a father to Aidan and Dylan. He had a soft spot for any kid. Because of his kind and caring nature he would help anyone in need.

He passed away Sunday, July 13, 2025, near LaHarpe at the age of 34.

He is survived by two sons: Aidan and Dylan Irish; his parents: Mark and Patty Irish of LaHarpe; one brother: Matt (Bre) Irish of Raritan, Illinois, his maternal grandfather: Orval Magee of Raritan, Illinois, and his nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and numerous cousins.

He was preceded in death by his maternal grandmother: Barbara Magee and paternal grandparents: Theodore “Ted” and Diana Irish.

SONG – Rock of Ages

Today, we feel Alex’s death deeply. But my hope today is that we will focus not only on the fact that Alex died, but also to remember that he lived. Admittedly, many of the choices that Alex made in his life made things difficult for those who loved him, and it is easy for those poor choices to overshadow some of the ways Alex was a blessing to those around him. It’s those things I want to highlight and help you remember today.

Alex loved deeply and gave freely of himself to others. He cared deeply for his family. He always placed great importance on making sure his grandparents were taken care of. He loved his Grandpa Orval and loved learning from his experiences and just talking with him. When Orval was in the hospital, Alex always made sure to visit. He loved playing guitar together with his Grandma Barb and trying to match whatever lick she played. Though he was young when his Grandpa Ted died, he cherished the time he’d had with him and loved to hear stories about him. And as his Grandma Diana got older, he never hesitated to come and help her if she fell or if she needed him to do something. Even after they died, Alex was diligent in helping tend to the graves of his family. I believe he wanted to honor them, even in death.

Though he had caused a lot of hurt to his parents and brother, I believe he had a genuine desire to mend and restore those relationships, though he wasn’t always sure how to do so. Alex wanted to make things right, because he valued those relationships far more than he let on. This past year at Mother’s Day, that was readily apparent, as he wrote a very sweet card for his mom. In talking with people this week, I really believe Alex was looking for ways to repair some of the hurt he’d caused over the years.

He had a special connection with Elizabeth and her family. Though Liz was his aunt, they were close enough in age that they grew up together. He always called her sis, and her kids knew him as Uncle Alex. He loved to play cards with them and with Orval. Skip-bo and Rummy were some of their favorites. No matter what happened, Alex cherished that connection deeply, and likewise, so did they.

He loved children. I suspect part of this may be because he was basically a big kid himself! But he genuinely had a soft spot for children, regardless of their background or where they had come from. I heard a story this week of a time when he was grilling hot dogs. He had to go into the house for something and when he came out, he saw a young girl trying to steal the hot dogs off the grill. Instead of lashing out at her, Alex’s response was simple: if you need food, you will never need to steal from me. All you have to do is ask.

That attitude seems to be a consistent theme in many of the stories I’ve heard about Alex this week. At his best, he was willing to do just about anything for just about anyone. He was strong as an ox and was talented in a lot of different ways. He was happy to use those abilities to help others. I suspect it was one of the things that brought him joy, as he knew that was something he could do right.

Though Alex was loving and kind, he also had an ornery streak in him. I’m told this was the case from an early age. Alex grew up learning to love John Deere. Mark remembers a time when Alex was only about 4 years old when John Siegworth came out to the farm. They were working on an old Deutz-Allis tractor. John made a remark to the young Alex asking if he liked green John Deere tractors like that. Alex’s response was, that’s not a John Deere, and with great disdain, said, “That’s a Deutz!” John laughed often as he thought about how Alex had learned these things from a very early age.

Matt remembered that they had lots of fun growing up. In the summers, they would disappear into the timber pretty much all day. They’d ride four-wheelers together, run around in the fields together, and just get into the trouble that country boys ought to.

They were still brothers, though, and they had more than a few run-ins with each other over the years. One time in particular, Alex pushed Matt as they were racing to see who could get to the shower first and Matt split his head open. As Matt stood bleeding, waiting for his parents to come, Alex headed back to his room. When his mom came to check on Matt, he opened his door and said, “I heard a commotion, what happened?” While it was a clever ploy, nobody was really fooled.

He was not afraid of hard work, but was going to have fun with it. He loved working on most anything with an engine. He’d spend all day working on engines at the shop, and then happily come home and work on a racecar, whether it was his or someone else’s. He loved to tinker.

When he hauled deicer over-the-road, he chose to enjoy his trips and getting to see the country. He loved to tell about the time he got to deliver to Area 51. He said he didn’t get to see much, as the government had it locked down tightly. He did, however, text his brother about the fact that across the street from the base, there was a brothel. With all the rumors about Area 51, they laughed that the existence of such a place raised a lot of interesting questions.

Another time, he and another driver were each hauling a load and were driving together. When they got near Las Vegas, Alex told the other driver not to worry, and just to follow him. Knowing exactly what he was doing, Alex led them both down the Las Vegas strip! It’s not every day you get to see a big rig full of deicer driving down the strip. Alex got quite a kick out of that.

As a kid, Alex loved Frango mints from Marshall Fields in Chicago. His grandma would often give him and Matt boxes of Frango mints for Christmas. One year, the family discovered just how much he loved them as he managed to polish off an entire one-pound box in one sitting! He may have regretted it later, but I think he still felt it was worth it.

When his class took a field trip to Chicago, he convinced many of his classmates to purchase Frango mints when they visited Marshall Fields. Alex came home with more than a dozen boxes for himself!

Though Alex was generally fearless and was not afraid to jump into most anything with both feet, he was squeamish about some things. Mark and Matt recall visiting a veterinarian one time and getting a tour of the facility. The highlight of the tour was getting to play with tiger cubs. What Alex remembered about the tour, however, was the room where they were dissecting animals. He turned green almost instantly.

When they were older, Matt and Alex went hunting together. Matt got Alex all set up and then headed to his stand. Almost immediately, Alex shot his gun and informed Matt he’d gotten a buck. They tracked down the animal, and then Matt told him, “Uncle Darryl always said, you shoot it, you clean it!” To Alex’s credit, he managed to clean his deer, but struggled to hold his stomach as he was doing it.

He loved to cook for others. Mark said Alex basically took over his grill and smoker. Nobody seemed to mind too much, because Alex was a pretty successful cook! He was never afraid to take on a new project. This last year, he was asked to cook lamb for his company’s Christmas dinner. He’d never done it before but researched it and took joy in preparing it for his co-workers (who I’m told all loved it!)

After his uncle Dwayne died, Alex happily jumped in to help with the pancake supper for the Raritan fireworks. He loved to participate in all the festivities for July 3rd.

Alex loved doing anything that involved a motor or horsepower though. He loved racing and tractor pulls, and for several years, he enjoyed participating in the lawnmower tractor pulls with his Grandpa Orval and Uncle Darryl during Summerfest. He tried to get his brother into racing with him, but Matt admitted he was too cheap to do it. He just couldn’t bring himself to spend the kind of money needed to be competitive.

When Alex was himself, he was fun and full of life. Admittedly, in recent years, that was often not the Alex we often saw. He struggled with addictions and various other things. He sometimes seemed impulsive and self-destructive. But though that’s the Alex we saw a lot of in recent years, I don’t believe that’s who he really was. I believe the real Alex was someone who would happily give you the shirt off his back. He had a wry smile that usually let on that he was up to something ornery. And he loved deeply. Though there were times when this version of Alex was hard to see, I believe that’s the person he really was, and that’s the Alex I hope you’ll remember.

SONG – Amazing Grace

Let’s be honest; nobody particularly likes coming to a funeral. That is especially so today. But though they may be uncomfortable, the Bible tells us that funerals are actually good for us.

2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter, for sadness has a refining influence on us. 4 A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time. (Ecclesiastes 7:2-4, NLT)

These words were written by Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived. But what a strange statement! Why is it better to spend your time at funerals than at parties? Because at a funeral, much of life comes into sharp focus. We are reminded of our own mortality, we are reminded that life is short, and we are reminded of what’s really important.

My hope for you today is that you will use this funeral as an opportunity to reflect on these things in your own life. To reflect on what’s most important and what will ultimately last. One of the things that we have seen clearly this week is that life is short and we do not know how long any of us have. We never know which day may be our last day, or someone we love’s last day. Let me give you a few suggestions of ways you can apply the lessons we’ve had thrust upon us this week.

First, remember to make sure those you love know it. None of us knows when our last day will be, and we don’t know when those we love will have their last day. So make time to express your love to the important people in your life. It’s easy to allow petty things to rob us of the opportunity to enjoy these relationships. No one ever reaches the end of their life wishing they’d spent more time working and less time with their family. No one ever wishes they held on to a grudge longer. But lots of people end up regretting that they didn’t nurture or cherish relationships with those who were really important. Live your life with the end in mind—if today was your last day, or was your loved one’s last day, would you be happy with how you left things? If not, change it! You have the power to do that today, so do it. You have the power to make sure you won’t live with regret.

Second, remember that your actions have a ripple effect. It is easy for us to live our lives with blinders on. Many of us are so busy that we can barely keep up with what we’re doing, and so we begin to think only about ourselves, not realizing that the choices we make often have a profound effect on the people around us. That is true in both a positive and negative way. When we choose to act selfishly, those around us are left to deal with the fallout. It’s easy to say, “I’m just going to do what makes me happy”, but what we think will make us happy in the moment may end up having an adverse effect on our relationships with others. Conversely, when we show love, when we’re generous, when we lend a helping hand, that impact is felt much further than we often realize. Make choices that recognize that your decisions affect more than just you.

Finally, recognize that the question of what happens after you die isn’t merely theoretical, it is immensely practical. It is easy for us to dismiss that “religious stuff” as unimportant and merely a preference each person can choose to embrace if it “works for them”. But the Bible is quite clear: God is the Creator of life, and therefore He gets to tell us how we are to live. There is coming a day when each of us will stand before Him and have to give an account for our actions. This day may be sooner than you think. Many people imagine that they are generally pretty good people, so God will be pleased. But the Bible gives us a different perspective.

Every one of us has broken God’s laws. In truth, we have each broken them a lot. As a result, we stand guilty before Him. Doing good things doesn’t erase the bad things we’ve done. It’s kind of like if you rack up a huge credit card debt. Cutting up the cards doesn’t erase the debt, it just means you stop adding to it. Doing good things doesn’t erase the debt we owe to God, it just keeps us from adding to it.

So, how do we pay that debt off? We can’t. There is no way to go back and undo what we have done in the past. There is only one hope: for someone else to pay our debt so we don’t have to. That’s what Jesus did. Because He had no sin of His own, He laid down His life to pay for ours. He promises that everyone who trusts in Him will live even though they die.

You may object to me saying this today. You may think I’m preaching at you. You’re darn right I am. If there’s one thing we learn from this week, it’s that these things matter. Decide what you are going to do with Jesus while you still have the time. When we’re at a funeral, we’re reminded that these questions are truly of ultimate importance.

I am hopeful that Alex Irish had trusted Christ in this way. I know Alex had heard these things. He grew up in a Christian home and had many in his life who pointed him to his need for Jesus. I know he had recently started attending church again. My hope is that he had come to embrace and follow Christ. If he did, then today he has been delivered from all the struggles of this world. He is finally enjoying the peace he found so elusive. If he did, then today we have no reason to mourn for him, because he has lost nothing and gained everything.

This does not diminish the loss we feel today. Even if Alex is better than ever, we still acutely feel the sting that comes from no longer having him in our lives. We mourn at a life that seems like it was far too short. But our grief is for our loss, not for Alex’s. The good news of the gospel is that if what Jesus says is true (and I believe with every fiber of my being that it is), then we can grieve with the hope and knowledge that there is life beyond the grave. We can grieve knowing that if we trust in and follow Jesus ourselves, we will one day enjoy a grand reunion in Heaven. Our grief is real. But it is tempered by the reality of life beyond the grave. We mourn, but we mourn with hope. My prayer is that today you will find and embrace the hope that is found in Jesus Christ alone.

As we struggle for answers today, I want to leave you with a verse that I have often found comfort in.

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. 9 For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9, NLT)

There is much about this week that I do not understand. I’m left with far more questions than answers. But we face a choice in these times. Will we trust that God knows what He is doing, will we trust that He has a plan, or will we assume that because we don’t know the reasons or purposes behind things, that there can be no purpose, no reason, no good that could possibly come of it?

This verse reminds us that God is so much bigger, powerful, wiser, and good than you or me. And so in the times when we don’t understand, we should rest in the knowledge that He does. My hope is that you will find comfort resting in God’s wisdom, especially in the times when our wisdom fails. I hope you will also find comfort in one another, and that you will learn the lessons one can only learn at funerals. I pray you will make efforts to deal with the issues you need to deal with while there is still time.

Will you pray with me?

Our Heavenly Father, there’s a lot we don’t understand about all that has happened. We mourn at the loss of a young man who, at his best, was someone who was honorable, kind, and worthy of praise. We’re left with lots of questions to which we may never get answers. But today, Lord, we ask that you would help us to live with perspective. Help us to learn the kinds of lessons that can only be learned at funerals. As we wrestle with things we cannot understand, we ask for the strength to hold tightly to You. Help us to find comfort in knowing who you are and trusting in your character. As we walk the messy path of grief in the days, weeks, and months ahead, surround us with your love and strength. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

SONG – How Great Thou Art