Dale Earnhardt Jr. Speaks Following Grandma’s Death

Amy Earnhardt / Instagram

The Earnhardt family is mourning the death of their matriarch…Martha Earnhardt.

Martha married NASCAR driver Ralph Earnhardt in 1947. They were together until Ralph died in 1973 following a heart attack.

The Earnhardts had five children: Kaye, Cathy, Dale, Randy, and Danny. Their son, Dale, went on to become Dale Earnhardt Sr. He too, pursued a NASCAR career and was one of the sport’s star drivers before he died in a crash in 2001 at the age of 49.

Dale Sr. fathered four children of his own: Kerry, Kelley, Dale Jr., and Taylor. Both Kerry and Dale followed in their grandfather and father’s footsteps and became NASCAR drivers themselves.

It was Dale Sr.’s children who shared the news on social media that their grandmother Martha had passed away on Christmas Day.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that Martha Earnhardt passed away Christmas evening,” Kelley wrote on Instagram. “As we grieve her loss and begin to imagine life without our beloved ‘Mamaw’, we find solace in knowing she is at peace in eternal glory and in joyous reunion with her husband Ralph and sons Dale, Randy and Danny. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers, and thank you so much for loving our Mamaw as if she were your own. She was not just the matriarch to our family, but she was the matriarch to multiple generations of race fans.”

 

Martha earned an additional tribute from another one of her grandchildren, Kerry.

“Our family will miss her tremendously, but we find happiness in knowing she’s right where she wanted to be, with her Heavenly Family,” Kerry said. “We gained a mighty magnificent Angel last night. I Love You More, Mamaw.”

Dale Jr. also spoke about his grandmother’s death. He shared a slideshow of photos, including one of them together, several of Martha in her younger years, and one of Martha with Dale Sr.

“Im [sic] thankful that I got to tell her I loved her before she left,” Dale Jr. said in his statement. “What a life she lived. What amazing things she saw and experienced during her 91 years. I hope we are all so lucky to live such a full life and leave it so peacefully. Until we meet again…“

You can see Dale Jr.’s tribute to his grandma below. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Earnhardt family as they mourn their loss.