John Otis Mobley

John Otis Mobley, 90, of Winder, passed away Friday, March 15, 2024. He was a lifetime resident of Winder and a 1951 graduate of Winder High School, where he was their Senior Class President. John earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 1954 and his Master’s in Education from Pepperdine University. John had a servant’s heart and spent his lifetime serving his Lord and his country; he retired from the US Air Force after 20 years of service, earning the rank of Lt Colonel and working in counterintelligence in the Office of Special Investigations. John held a classified rank for many years with the Air Force. After his service to his country, John retired to his hometown and served his community by serving on the Winder City Council and went on to be Mayor. Afterwards, he served the State of Georgia for 10 years as Barrow County’s State Representative. He was a faithful member of Corinth United Methodist Church. John was a Gideon, a past Chaplain of the American Legion, a member of the Kiwanis Club, a past board member of the Winder Hospital, and on the board for the Friends of Ft. Yargo.

John and his late brother Laverne had very humble beginnings in life but were blessed with a loving mother and grandmother, the late Mary Lou Ferguson Mobley and Della Ferguson, who raised them in the way they should go. In the memory of those strong life lessons, his family would love donations to be made in his memory to Feeding Barrow in the Barrow County School System.

John is survived by his loving wife of 70 years, Shirley Fleeman Mobley of Winder; his children, Danny Mobley of Watkinsville, Cheryl Sauls (Charlie) of Jefferson, Karen Dowis (Perry) of Braselton, and Mike Mobley (Sallie) of Athens; his grandchildren: Caitlin Hansard, Becca Mobley, Kara Mitchell, Daniel Mobley, Christopher Sauls, Grayson Carbone, Payton Lewallen, Jackson Gresham, Kevin Mobley, Mary Carson Mobley and Caroline Mobley; and great-grandchildren: Rylan and Reegan Rivas, Harper and Hudson Hansard, Abbott, Redding and Hollis Mitchell, Belle, Lucia, Annalawrence and Cooper Carbone, and Emory Herrick.

Visitation will be held from 4PM until 6PM Sunday, March 17, 2024 at Smith Funeral Home, Winder, GA.

Funeral services will be at 2PM Monday, March 18, 2024 in the chapel of Smith Funeral Home with Mr. Ray Mattison and Pastor Jennifer Carey officiating. Interment with military honors will follow in Barrow Memorial Gardens.