Christina “Elise” Wobbe, a 2024 YPAS Musical Theatre graduate died in her sleep of natural causes on Friday night, February 14. Photo courtesy of the Wobbe family.

Christina “Elise” Wobbe, a 2024 YPAS Musical Theatre graduate and freshman at Syracuse University in New York, died in her sleep of natural causes on Friday night, February 14. She was 18. 

Wobbe was a lifelong performer. She began dancing before some people begin walking, and her singing and acting followed suit later in her life. She was a Governor’s School for the Arts alumnus, attending in 2022 for musical theatre. At Syracuse, she was a dean’s list student in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, where she was in the production staff and costume crew for their musical “Pippin.” 

“Elise’s smile warmed hearts from the audition room to the theatre, and she never knew a stranger. She lived her dream each and every day with exuberance, determination, and genuine kindness, and it’s her family’s wish that this spirit will live as her legacy in the hearts of all those fortunate to know her loving soul,” her family wrote.

During her YPAS tenure, she did two shows with the Trinity High School Department of Theatre Arts (DOTA). She performed in the musical “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (2023), and glowingly acted and sang as the female lead, Marian, in 2024’s “The Music Man.”

The Trinity DOTA posted a tribute on Instagram the day after she died, saying, “We are so thankful for the time we had with you and we know you will fly high guiding us all through this difficult time.”

People replied in droves. Longtime friends told Elise they love her, and innumerable community members replied with simple heart emojis. One commenter wrote, “A tremendous talent and a true friend.” Another: “She was a force of nature.” 

“It is always difficult to lose someone you know. Even harder when the individual was someone like Elise,” said Principal Dr. Michael Newman. “My heart goes out to everyone who was impacted by Elise’s life, especially to Elise’s parents and family including Lily Wobbe, J&C class of 2022.”

YPAS Assistant Principal Bryan Crady, for whom Wobbe was an aide in the 2023–2024 school year, said “The loss of Elise will have great impact for years to come. She was truly a light to all who knew her. I am so thankful that she was able to share her life with the YPAS family for four years.” 

Crady went on, “She was a [force] to be reckoned with, a great talent, a voice like no other, and a passion for her work that made her so incredible. She will truly be missed.”

Her visitation will be held at Pearson’s on 149 Breckenridge Lane on Sunday, February 22 from 3 to 6 p.m. Additional information, including funeral and burial arrangements, can be found in her obituary. Her family will soon be establishing a scholarship fund for a YPAS senior pursuing musical theatre in college, which can be supported with a gift in lieu of flowers. 

Manual students in need of support can find information at the counseling office on the first floor or on the duPont Manual counseling website. Students can let their teacher know that they would like to see a counselor, or can email their counselor directly requesting a meeting. 

Wobbe’s family was consulted prior to the publication of this article. They expressed their support for everything included.