The Smith College community is mourning the immeasurable loss of first-year student Taylor Mobley, who passed away in an accident on April 18. They were 19 years old.
Taylor made an impact at Smith with their infectious joy, warmth and creativity, and they will be remembered by our community as a talented printmaker and bright student, loved by many.
They were raised in Scottsdale, Ariz. with their triplets, Brianna and Chloe.
Mary Lou Mobley, Taylor’s maternal aunt, wanted to let Smithies know “how much we appreciate their love and support,” and emphasized that students should carry no guilt around their accidental death. “They did not miss anything. Taylor was truly happy.”
She will always remember Taylor’s “really infectious smile and giggle,” recalling that, “when they started laughing, everybody in the whole room would light up.”
Mary Lou described them as deeply curious and creative from a young age. “You’d give them a mechanical toy, and they would take it apart, put it back together, and then play with it.”
During weekly Sunday Zoom calls with family, Taylor would share stories about their love of Smith College life. One snowy day, they were walking home with a brownie, only to drop it in the snow. “It was going to be the highlight of their food,” their aunt recalled, laughing at the memory.
Taylor especially loved their block printing class. “They would often talk about how much they liked that class in particular.”
Their printmaking professor, Anna Hepler, described them as a talented, thoughtful artist whose absence was powerfully felt in the studio. An exhibition of their work has been put together outside Hillyer L08.
The display of their work serves as a “powerful reminder of their intense capacity as an artist and human being. They created prints with fierce intention and depth.”
Hepler described Taylor as someone who was excited to experiment with unconventional surfaces and create pieces that had deep inward importance, including a portrait of their mother and a piece titled ‘Black Christmas’.
“The actions we have all taken in remembrance are a kind of echo, a reflection of what we learned from their example,” she said. “Taylor’s absence is powerfully felt.”
Among those closest to them was their partner, Wrenna Khalid-Bossie ’29.
“We were more in love than I ever expected to be in my life,” Wrenna said. “It was immense and special and perfect.”
Wrenna recalled a quiet morning the two had spent together, sunlight filling the room, as she got dressed. Taylor hadn’t yet put their contacts in and had “terrible vision,” she said, when they told her “You’re so beautiful. I can’t see you but I know you look so beautiful.”
“They loved beyond senses,” Wrenna said. “I miss it. I miss them.”
On the evening of Taylor’s passing, friends and loved ones gathered in the WOZQ studio to create a radio show in their honor, a special episode of “4 Letter Word.”
“I just really wanted to thank everyone who’s listening,” Wrenna said on air. “We have a lot of listeners on this show… and I really feel grateful towards that.”
For those in and out of the studio, sharing music became a way to hold and honor Taylor – their love of music and their ability to bring people together.
“Two things that could bring people together are music and Taylor,” one speaker reflected. “By listening to this radio show we’re embodying Taylor’s love for art, music and being with people.”
Throughout the broadcast, participants introduced songs with brief, vivid memories. Wrenna recalled her 18th birthday, when she and Taylor sat together as “Casimir Pulaski Day” by Sufjan Stevens played, “making eye contact and singing the song back and forth.”
“It really showed just how sweet and beautiful they were,” she said.
Another friend remembered being “out-sung and out-lyriced” by Taylor during Lorde’s “400 Lux.”
Near the end of the broadcast, Wrenna recalled that when asked what song they could listen to forever, Taylor chose “Buzzcut Season” by Lorde.
“They loved being a Smithie,” their aunt said. “They developed a lot of really close friendships and found their love. I want to honor that.”
“When I think of Taylor,” she said, “I think of joy.”
Family and friends ask for privacy as they grieve. Those interested can listen to the memorial episode of “4 Letter Word.”
