Raymon Mobley, age 96, of Coleman, died Thursday, November 24, 2022, at Coleman County Medical Center.
Graveside service with military honors will be held Thursday, December 1, at 11:00 a.m. at the Texas State Veterans Cemetery at Abilene, 7457 W. Lake Road, Abilene, Texas.
Services have been entrusted to Stevens Funeral Home in Coleman.
Raymon Mobley was born March 29, 1926, in the Hylton Community but was raised in Haskell. He was an outstanding athlete and a leader in Haskell High School, where he played football, basketball and ran track for Coach Gordon Wood. He graduated from High School and immediately enlisted in the Navy. He was 17 years old – too young to be in the armed forces, but with the help of his older brother’s birth certificate, he was admitted to fight in World War II. He served on a supply ship that transferred ammunition and supplies to carriers and destroyers. The supply ships were constantly under attack from Japanese fighter planes and Kamikaze aircraft. He was an anti-aircraft gunner and spent most of his time onboard protecting the ship from air attack. When onshore, he was a bodyguard for the Admiral. At the end of the war, he was privileged to watch the Japanese sign the surrender documents in Tokyo Harbor.
After the war, he returned home and married Jan Sanders. They had two daughters, Susan and Charlotte. They were the loves of his life. He adored his daughters and tolerated his two sons-in-la. He went to work for Halliburton in the West Texas oil fields and ultimately all over the United States. After his retirement from Halliburton, he bought an Exxon gas station in Eldorado, Texas. The station grew into a wholesale gas and butane delivery service. He sold the station but did not retire. He went back to the oil field as a consultant. Additionally, to make sure that he didn’t get bored, Raymon served as the Mayor of Eldorado for three terms.
When age and other issues required, he and Jan moved to Coleman to be closer to family. During his time in Coleman, he established friendships with several folks who were Godsent. They ate, told stories, took Raymon on excursions, and had occasional “happy hours.” These guys were a blessing to Raymon and his daughter and son-in-law. He also found a new church home in Coleman. He loved the Concho Baptist Church. The members treated him like he was family. The same was true with Susan’s girlfriends, whom he adored. Coleman is truly a loving place. We will forever be in their debt for their kindness.
Raymon was a sweet, loving, kind man. He was always the gentleman with a huge heart, However, like his Savior, he was not afraid of conflict. He was a true West Texan. The cowboys would say he “was a man to ride the river with” and when things got tough, he could “cowboy up.”
He is survived by his daughters and sons-in-law, Susan and Skip Casey of Coleman, Charlotte and Travis Hill of Leander; grandson, Sean Casey and wife Raquel of Inez, two granddaughters, Natalie Hill of Austin and Kendall Hill of Lubbock; two great-grandsons, Rhys and Sage Casey.
He was preceded in death by his wife on September 17, 2020.
Memorials may be made to the Coleman County Youth Sports Complex, P. O. Box 587, Coleman, Texas 76834, or the donor’s favorite charity.
You may leave kind thoughts and condolences for the family on his tribute page at www.stevensfuneralhome.com. Stevens Funeral Home is honored to serve the Mobley family.