Mary Wilborn (1917-2010)

Mary Vernick Wilborn passed away in her Mokelumne Hill home on Saturday November 6, 2010. She was born in Ohio in 1917, served as a nurse in the Navy during World War II, and, with her husband Robert G. Wilborn, a chiropractor, moved to Mokelumne Hill in 1952. For over thirty years they conducted a highly successful publishing firm, Health Research, reprinting rare and out-of-print books. Their Lafayette Street business hired scores of local residents – providing employment for them just steps away from their homes. This firm shipped books all over the world and their publications today can be found for sale on eBay. The Wilborns sold the business and retired in the mid-1980s. Their daughter, Dorothy, died in 1989 and Robert passed away in 1994, at age 84. Mary enjoyed volunteering at the Mokelumne Hill History Society Archives for over 10 years. Mrs. Wilborn was named the Mokelumne Hill Lions Club’s “Citizen of the Year” in June 2008 and the landscaped sitting area on the south side of the library was dedicated in 2009 as the Mary Wilborn History Garden.

Mokelumne Hill has often been the beneficiary of Mary Wilborn’s desire to support her community. The Mokelumne Hill Community Trust, the Mokelumne Hill Friends of the Library, the Mokelumne Hill History Society, the Mokelumne Hill Veterans Memorial District and the Mokelumne Hill Volunteer Firefighters’ Association are the grateful recipients of Mary Wilborn’s generous donations. They, in turn, have used these funds to benefit the community at large.