Christy Leigh Connor Bilby, born November 8, 1977, passed away unexpectedly on July 1, 2020. Christy was born in Muncie, Indiana, to Roy and Jan Connor. She is survived by her beloved husband Seth Bilby, and her two teenage sons, Wyatt and Jacob, her loving parents, Roy and Janet (Davis) Connor of Muncie, and her sister, Laura Connor Sapp (husband Andrew) of Greenville, NC. She is also survived by her in-laws, Terry and Beth Bilby, brother-in-law Aaron Bilby (wife Lisa), and sister-in-law Heather Masters (husband Greg), and numerous nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Christy graduated from Muncie Central High School in 1996 and was awarded the Ellison scholarship for a full scholarship to Ball State University, where she received both a Bachelor and Masters of Arts in Education. Christy was a most beloved teacher. She taught elementary school for many years, most recently at Albany Elementary, but also in Muncie at Grissom and Westview. She was awarded the Teacher of the Year at every school. She also was the Children's Ministry Director at Union Chapel Ministries for several years while her boys were young. She also was an extremely successful small business owner as a jewelry maker. She and her family were members of CommonWay Church, where she regularly taught Pre-School classes and served in multiple ways. She was deeply invested in and on the Board of the nonprofit "Albany Christmas" that raised money for families in need of help for Christmas celebrations in the Albany community. She constantly volunteered in her community, church, and with her boys' schools, helping others and serving so selflessly in all aspects of her life.

Christy's greatest loves were Jesus and her husband and boys, followed closely by her family, friends, and students. She loved doing anything with her boys, including going to the mountains, camping, boating, skiing, and running. She fully embraced being a boy mom and fiercely loved her sons! She was an avid runner, hardly missing a day, and said that one of her greatest joys was getting to run with her boys. Christy was truly beautiful both inside and out. She was a friend to so many. Her family, friends and community adored her. She was the light of Christ in every room, gave hugs to every one of her students, and made everyone she knew feel loved and important with the greatest of intentionality. She personified kindness, goodness, and grace. She loved Jesus whole-heartedly.

Christy's beautiful life will be celebrated in a private service on Thursday, July 9, 2020. The service will either be streamed live or recorded, which will be accessible on the CommonWay Church website. The family hopes to have a celebration of life memorial service in the future, date TBD. The family asks that in lieu of flowers that you honor Christy's life by giving to her sons' college fund with this link - https://paypal.me/pools/c/8qCrlVzg2I . Garden View Funeral Home , rural Muncie, has been honored to assist the Bilby family during their time of need.