Christine Wren: key obituary facts
Is Christine Wren dead? Yes. Christine Wren died on October 25, 2026, at age 78.
Cause of death: Christine Wren's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Christine Wren known for?
She was an American baseball umpire.
More about Christine Wren
Born: 1 January 1949.
Gender: female.
Christine Wren, an American baseball umpire, died October 25, 2026, aged 78.
She was the second woman to umpire professionally in organized baseball and the first woman to work a full season. Raised in Spokane, Washington, Wren played sandlot baseball and later fast-pitch softball, often as a catcher.
After deciding to pursue umpiring, she attended the Bill Kinnamon Specialized Umpire course in California, one of the country’s leading umpire schools. In 1975, Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley invited her to officiate an exhibition game between the Dodgers and the University of Southern California. That year, Wren began her professional league career in the Class A Northwest League, where she worked for two seasons, 1975 and 1976. She was then assigned to the Class A Midwest League for the 1977 season, completing three seasons as a professional umpire across the two circuits. During that Midwest League season, president Bill Walters invited her to umpire the league’s All-Star Game. Her career included both regular-season assignments in minor-league baseball and the exhibition contest involving the Dodgers and USC. After the 1977 season, Wren left umpiring to pursue other employment.