Grant Darnell Hammack

1977 - 2022

Grant Darnell Hammack
June 27, 1977 - August 14, 2022
Fairview, North Carolina - Grant Darnell Hammack, family man, car enthusiast and sports fan, died Sunday, Aug. 14, surrounded by family members at his home in Fairview, N.C. He was 45.
Grant was born on June 27, 1977, in Charleston, WV and raised in Matthews and Wesley Chapel, just outside of Charlotte.
He graduated from Sun Valley High School and earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1995. Grant obtained a degree in communications from Western Carolina University in 2000.
Grant loved driving fast â€" his first car at 16 years old being a Ford Mustang. In 2003 he bought an Audi B6 A4 Quattro manual sport, then a Volkswagen Mk4 R32 and later an Audi Mk2 TTRS.
His passion for cars led him to the North Carolina/Tennessee border, where, in 2007, he was a founding member of Wookies in the Woods, an annual gathering of car lovers who race the winding roads of the Tail of the Dragon on US-129 in Fontana Dam.
And he had a passion for sports, particularly, the Duke Blue Devils, the Chicago White Soxs and Carolina Panthers. The latter led him to Bank of America Stadium, where Grant and his family had season tickets since 1996. For years, he drove 400 miles from Nashville, TN to watch the Panthers in person. And as he walked the stairs to his seat in Section 508, he high fived every fan on his way.
Yes, Grant loved life, from live music, especially Phish concerts, skiing and Poker nights to fantasy sports, sushi and nature â€" which drew him to Colorado following college and back to the Carolina mountains a decade ago.
"Everybody wants more quantity of life," Grant told a friend recently. "But I have not lacked for quality of life."
Grant was raised in Matthews Presbyterian Church and later served on the Session for First Presbyterian of Hendersonville in Tennessee. He was an active member of Lutheran Church of the Nativity of Arden, N.C., where he served on Council.
Even in death Grant was selfless, donating his body to Duke University School of Medicine Anatomical Gifts Program.
Grant is survived by his wife, Ashley; daughters Olivia (20), Eleanor (13) and Adeline (11); father, Darnell of Charlotte; mother, Diana of Wesley Chapel; sister, Kara (Gavin Off) of Charlotte; dog Roscoe Winston Von Hammack the Third, the Earl of Stone Creek; cat Jack O'Lantern Pumpkin Toes Hammack the Laird of Stone Creek and a host of aunts, uncles, nephews, cousins and in-laws who loved him. Grant was a loyal friend to everyone from all aspects of his life.
A memorial service to honor Grant will be held Saturday, Aug. 20 at 11:00 a.m. at the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in Arden, N.C. A celebration of life will follow at New Belgium Brewing Company, Asheville, N.C from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Come as you are, stay as long as you like.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to EC Aware (https://www.ecaware.org/) or the Lutheran Church of the Nativity in memory of Grant. Or, donate to your favorite charity and share with the family the name of the organization so they can see how far Grant's reach has spread.