Genevieve (Genny) Obert, wife of D Modified Dallara driver Chris Obert,
died July 21.
The following was sent to members of the Western Auto Journalists. Although
I had been running against Chris Obert this season in D Modified and I had
a conversation over a year ago with Mrs. Obert at a WAJ meeting, I had
never connected the two. --John Kelly
>From the WAJ, written by Gary Anderson:
We are saddened to report that Genevieve (Genny) Obert, a long-time
member
of Western Automotive Journalists and personal friend to many of us in WAJ,
passed away peacefully in her sleep the morning of July 21, a consequence
of heart disease.
Her husband, Chris, tells us that the previous day she had enjoyed
a happy 44th birthday celebration at home with family and friends.
As many of you know, Genny was most interested in classic European cars,
the
quirkier, the better. Writing for Sports Car International, Autoweek,
European Car, British Car, Vintage Motorsport, Special Interest Autos and
other
publications, she conveyed her love of interesting automobiles to a wide
circle of readers.
Her articles on microcars and her adventures with them in obscure
little Italian towns were particularly funny. If you knew Genny, you can
imagine the reaction of the average Italian person-on-the-street when she
unwound
her tall, slim self out of, say, a Fiat 500.
Genny's greatest adventure took shape in 1997 when she was interviewing
Linda Dodwell, a fellow car enthusiast, about Linda's plans to drive a
Hillman
Hunter on the reenactment of the 1907 Peking-Paris Rally. Linda recounted
that her planned co-driver had pulled out the previous week, and on the
spot
the two
>women agreed to team up on the rally. Out of this serendipitous beginning
came the
drive of their lives and Genny's subsequent book, Prince Borghese's Trail,
10,000
Miles over Two Continents, Four Deserts, and the Roof of the World in the
Peking to
Paris Motor Challenge (and, yes, that's all title, not a synopsis of the
book). The book
interspersed Genny's description of the 1907 rally with the adventures she
and Linda experienced in getting their Hillman successfully through the
entire rally,
winning the Women's Cup for the event. The book, a "ripping good read," as
one reviewer
said, earned the "Dean Batchelor Award" for best print work of 1999 from
the
Motor Press Guild,
and was a featured selection of Book of the Month Club's Quality Paperback
Book Club.
Though Genny had been successful before the publication of the book,
afterward she was
the recipient of more invitations than she could handle for interviews,
speaking
engagements, and more writing assignments. She had the opportunity to
participate
in the Italian and Californian Milles, France's Tour Auto, and the 1999
Cannonball Classic.
Gennie's love of Italian automobiles and her education in politics,
economics, and international business served her well in the business that
she ran with husband Chris, C.Obert & Company, dba Fiat Plus, now the
U.S.'s
largest
importer of Fiat, Lancia, and Abarth parts, headquartered in Santa Cruz.
In spite of her busy travel and business schedule, Genny is described by
Chris as a loving wife and mother. Together Chris and Genny have raised
two lovely children, Jesse, 13, and Molly, 11, who attended some of our
WAJ events with her.
That her illness and passing comes as a surprise to many of us was due to
Genny's reluctance to burden other people with her problems. She hadn't
participated recently in WAJ track days, because she could no longer
handle high-speed driving after starting her regimen of medication for her
enlarged heart that she sustained for the past three years.
Nevertheless, Genny continued to practice her craft of automotive
journalism
until very recently. Though her passing saddens all of us who knew her, we
know that she filled her life doing the things she loved best, and was
more than generous in sharing her joy with her readers. We will no longer
see her at
our activities, or delight in her sense of humor in new articles, but we
know
that Genny will continue to live for other automobile enthusiasts through
the words in her book and articles.
A celebration of Genny's life will be held at the family's Santa Cruz home
August 9. In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the college fund
for
Jesse and Molly. Please call 831-458-1692 for information. For more
information on Genny's life and writing, see her website, www.autodiva.com
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