By Pete Vack
Picture copyright and courtesy Obert Family.
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Genny behind the wheel of a Fiat 500.
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One of the less pleasant responsibilities of being an editor is writing tributes to those who have passed away. Earlier, we learned of Pat Braden's sudden death, and now, tragically, Genevieve Obert.
"Genny" as friends called her, passed away in her sleep of heart failure on July 21st, the day after her forty fourth birthday. The loss for her family,
her husband Chris and their two children must be enormous, and we at VeloceToday extend our deepest sympathies.
As we shared the masthead at Forza, I always read Genny's articles with great pleasure, often with envy. I had just set down my copy of the latest Forza, (number 48), after reading her excellent article on Jeffrey Fisher's 212 Vignale (0090E) when I was informed of her death. Not one to sit in front of a computer, Genny was a doer, a traveler, a rallyist, and no doubt a great adventurer, as well as a fine writer. Fluent in both Italian and French, Genny wrote about our passion with grace and style, from a unique yet knowledgeable perspective. In that same issue of Forza, she had also written a sidebar on her trip to this year’s Monaco Grand Prix, and provided witty, first hand information about the trials and tribulations of being a spectator at Monte Carlo. "At the shopping center under the Metropole Palace Hotel,... the walls literally shake when the cars go by above... the entire city quakes and shimmies and rolls and shrieks as the cars whine their way around the course." She added that the best meal deal seemed to be the Bistorquet. "..a sandwich, one drink, and the same view as the Le Jardin for only 150 Euros ($180)."
In 1997, she joined Linda Dodwell in the 43-day, 10,240+ mile Peking to Paris Rally and won the Women’s Cup. Her book about her experiences, "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," won her a Motor Press Guild Dean Batchelor Award and led to speaking engagements around the country.
She participated in numerous classic rallies, and In November 2001, she traveled to South America to chase 45 classic cars in the 55-day, 15,000 mile Inca Trail.
Not limited to Italian cars, her work regularly appeared in many other publications as well, including Bimmer, Excellence, AutoWeek, and Car Collector, among many others.
Genny is survived by husband Chris, son Jesse (13) and daughter Molly Obert (11). The Williams/Obert family will hold an informal celebration of her life at their home in Santa Cruz, CA on Saturday, August 9th at 1 pm.
For more information about Genny, see her website at http://www.autodiva.com/
