A personal page by Sue, Ken, Keith and Jill
Lou Ann Hammond passed away peacefully on Friday, July 15, 2022, with her husband Mark “Stretch” Bachelor at her side.
After a career at Chevron that began in 1978, she founded www.carlist.com in 1986, and went on to run Driving the Nation until recently. She had participated in a number of automotive juries and was very active in the Women’s World Car of the Year jury.
Lou Ann battled cancer for more than two years and was brave and tireless in her efforts to find treatments both traditional and experimental.
She spent the last few years of her life at her “farm” in Auburn California with her husband Stretch, feeding her flock of chickens, as well as writing snippets about the birds and deer that frequented her property. She became an avid baker of sourdough bread and loved making frittatas with her garden vegetables and eggs from the farm.
As her life came to a close, she remembered many years of travel in the automotive industry with fondness. She kept her cancer battle mostly private, including just a few people in her inner circle during this time.
Sue Mead, Ken Gross, Keith Turner and Jill Ciminillo wanted to honor her life and memory by hosting a fundraising event for the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society’s mission is to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer — a fight Lou Ann struggled to win for more than two years during the pandemic.
We didn’t want to put a fundraising number on the memorial page, but ACS required it. So, we chose $6,500 because she would have turned 65 in February. But we hope to raise much, much more than that.
This year alone, more than 600,000 Americans will die of cancer. You now know one of them. That’s more than 1,600 people per day in the United States. That’s why, with our 1.5 million supporters, we are taking action. The money we raise through this fundraiser will help fund and provide the critical programs and services that people count on every day.
If you have Interest in making a donation in her name follow this link. Cards can be sent to Mark Bachelor — you can contact Sue for the address.
Thank you for your support. Together we can make a difference.
