Shirley Ann Mobley

Nearly a month after her 89th birthday and 12 years to the day after her brother’s passing, our beloved mother, Shirley Mobley, passed away. She was “Sweet Aunt Shirley” to her nieces and nephews, “Shirley Bob” to her son-in-law and “Mama” to the light of her life – her granddaughter. Grandmother was the role Shirley cherished above all others.

Born in Orange, CA to Jack and Margaret Snuffin on January 14, 1936. Shirley lived an idyllic life in Gardena, CA with her brother, Mike, who introduced her to her first and only love, his best friend - Bill Mobley. They married in1954, had a son and a daughter and moved to Garden Grove in 1968, where their lives revolved around their children and their activities. There they made lifelong friends and started a tradition of spending summers in Catalina with several families. This tradition became a huge part of their family life.

Shirley had an incredible work ethic and was a devoted, hardworking employee at Levitz Furniture for over 30 years where she was named employee of the year for a record breaking ten years. Shirley believed in fairness and solutions. Just this past Christmas at her assisted living residence, she spearheaded a campaign to reward and recognize the hard work of the staff by collecting donations for cash bonuses from the residents. She created spreadsheets and built a team to execute this idea. She knew how important it was to ensure things were done fairly and with accountability, which were traits fundamental to her nature.

Shirley and Bill retired in 1997 and moved to Fallbrook, CA on a golf course where they had some of the best times of their lives. They enjoyed golfing vacations and still made a point to go to Catalina. When Bill developed Parkinson’s Disease, his care became Shirley’s primary focus. In 2011, Bill and Shirley moved to Laguna Woods to be closer to their family. Sadly, Bill’s disease progressed and his passing in 2012 was a tremendous blow to Shirley.

Although in constant back pain for years, Shirley seemed to thrive when she moved into her assisted living facility. She made several friends and was known as the funny, sharp, quick-witted resident. Always concerned about others, she endeared herself to everyone she met.

Shirley had an uncanny ability to remember the details of every conversation. You always felt like she was truly listening and really cared. She did this with everyone she encountered and made them feel special. Because of this engaging quality, she had an incredibly positive impact on the assisted living community where she lived, and her passing is a loss felt by residents, caretakers and employees.

There is now a void in our family’s lives that cannot be filled but we were blessed with having the most amazing mother anyone could ask for and she loved her family fiercely. Shirley is survived by her son (Mark); daughter (Marcy); son-in-law (Doug); daughter- in-law (Mari) – both of whom she loved as if they were her own; cousin (Sheila) who was like a sister/daughter to her; and of course, her granddaughter, (Spencer). Shirley will forever be in our hearts.