Winilah "Win" Mobley

Winilah “Win” Lenore Mobley, 87 of Jerome, passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, September 30, 2022.

She was born February 13, 1935 after a snowy ride from north of Jerome to the hospital in Twin Falls, Idaho. The youngest daughter to Claude and Leota Hull, of Jerome, Win was raised in the same Pleasant Plains community where she lived most of her life. Growing up she had a strong love for horses, riding them on the farm and the desert nearby.

Win married her sweetheart, Bill Frank Mobley, April 11, 1954 and they farmed north of Jerome, later purchasing a section of her parent’s farm. Aside from raising their family, they enjoyed snow and water skiing, traveling, fishing, and riding horses.

When their 5 daughters were nearly grown, Win joined the “Thursday Sage Riders” looking forward to the weekly rides on the many trails of Idaho with her friends along with the men joining them on adventures into the mountains of Montana. The beauty she saw inspired her to keep a journal of these rides in a notebook and on scraps of paper. Years later those notes became the places she described in her 3 novels, “The Journey Series”, which were stories about women and their horses who settled in the wilds of Idaho in the late 1800’s. The first book earned W. Lenore Mobley the “Writer of the Year” in 2004 from the Idaho Writers League which she was a member of for many years. Win also wrote a book about Bill and his horse, “Calypso – Dark Horse” that she published for her grandchildren. She also tried her hand at interviewing and edited the book, “Enjoy the Journey – of Women and Their Horses on the Snake River Plain”. Her award for Lifetime Achievement in 2020 by the League was an exciting milestone for her.

She enjoyed spending time with family and friends and riding horses until she was 85. Aside from traveling with her daughters and Bill, she also attended the Baptist church regularly and enjoyed many rodeos and cowboy tent meetings. She was often seen doing book signings all over Idaho and her inspirational talks with Christian Women’s Clubs encouraged women of all ages to follow their dreams and use the gifts that God had blessed them with. A favorite Bible verse she included in those talks was Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”. She encouraged all she spoke with to follow Jesus.

Winilah is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Bill in 2016; and 2 sisters.

She is survived by 5 daughters, Janell (Benton) Pearson-Oregon, Beth Swartz-Jerome, Renee Maher-Iowa, Sara Hoy-Jerome and Willann (Mike) Hopkins-Nevada; 12 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; and 1 great, great grandchild; as well as 9 extended family members; and a brother-in-law, Jene Mobley.

The memorial service will be Saturday, November 5th at 2:00 pm, Farnsworth Mortuary, 1343 South Lincoln, Jerome.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you donate to a Christian charity or donate a Gideon Bible in her memory.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Win's memorial webpage at www.farnsworthmortuary.com.