Remembering Larry Hammers

1960-2021

The off road and law enforcement communities were shocked when Larry Hammers passed away October 1, 2021 after a brief illness. Larry had recently retired from a 40+ year career of serving the public as a firefighter, then a police officer and finally as a Deputy Sheriff. He moved from California to Duck River, Tennessee earlier this year.

His memorial service attested to the fact that he impacted hundreds of lives and the common thread running through stories shared, portrayed Larry as a fearless man with a big heart who loved to laugh even at the expense of co-workers and friends who enjoyed his practical jokes. He lived a life dedicated to serving others, whether on duty or off.

Larry is survived by his wife Karen and two daughters, Aulora (Andrew) Salas and Amber (Stephen) Otero; his grandsons Cade, Dallas and Carson; and one little princess, Stevie, all of Tennessee. Larry is also survived by his brothers: Dan (Christine) of Missouri, Jack (Susan) of Tennessee, and Roger (Christy) of Washington.

Larry was one of the best people around. A person you can call and ask for help and he’d be there.

Many times he was there helping me get my bike ready for races. When my bike motor gave out before the next race and I wasn’t in a position to get it rebuilt. I was close to finishing in the top 5 in points, and Larry got an extra bike and loaned it to me without any strings. "Just go out there and finish for the points. You're close."

Racing was a big part of how I got to know Larry. I remember the hours in his garage just talking and hearing stories of his three wheeler racing days.

After one of my bad wrecks he brought me to the hospital and spent hours making sure I was taken care of. He even picked me up when I got out and took me to lunch. He treated my family like his own and we’ll never forget the things he did for us.

The photo is me and Larry when he pulled up on me after I went speeding by him on my race bike on my way up to the track from my house in Campo. (I didn’t see him and by my speed he only heard me pass by.) He talked to me like a dad. Told me to keep all wheels down and take it easy. – Spencer Butts, Campo CA

I met Mr. Larry from my mom. His wife Karen worked with my mom, so that's how I met him. My mom used to talk about me all the time to him about my racing the flat track. She would tell him about all my races, all my wins, my crashes, she would tell him everything. On flat track weekends Mr. Larry would stop by to check out the races. Most of the time he was in uniform, because he was a cop in our town.

One day he came to the track and he stopped by to say hi. I was wearing "Fly Racing" gear. He came up to me and said, "Hey, you have a fly on you." I said, "Where? I don't see anything."

He said, "Right there. On your arm and leg." I still didn't see it. He laughed and said, "Have a good race, bud."

Another flat track weekend and Mr. Larry stopped in again. He told he the same thing, "Hey bud. You still have a fly on you." I didn't understand why he kept telling me that. I asked my mom and she finally told me, "Saby, you are wearing Fly Racing gear. It says Fly on you. Get it? You have a fly on you?" "Ohhhh! I get it now," I said. And I laughed about it.

The next time I seen him he asked about the fly. I said, "I got it off." He laughed and said, "You barely got the joke, didn't you?" I got shy and smiled, but said, "Yeah."

After that Mr. Larry would call me "Fly Boy." My mom would come home from work and say Mr. Larry asked how Fly Boy did at the races this past weekend.

Mr. Larry was a very funny guy. Very nice and always making jokes. Always talking about racing with him was always nice too. I'm glad I got to meet him, be his friend and glad I got a nickname by him. He always was in a good mood, smiling, making other people smile and laugh.

Mr. Larry will be truly missed by all. He was a good man. We will forever hold him in our hearts. We love you Mr. Larry and also love you Karen. May Mr. Larry rest in peace – Mark "Saby" Arguilez, Age 8, Campo CA

There are so many memories when it comes to Larry. He will always hold a dear place in mine and my husband's hearts. His generosity was so real and meaningful and we were both so glad to call him our friend.

Racing with Larry was so much fun, his encouragement with me being the only woman in the Vet Quad class lifted my spirits up every race. As I raced the Best In Desert Series he would always reach out and ask how the race was and always had such kind words, and of course he had questions about the course and I was happy to tell him about it. His support made a huge impact on me and it was such a rewarding friendship that I will never forget!

This image is from one of our last races together at the Cahuilla track in May of 2019. – Tovia Lowry, Las Vegas NV

My name is Bob Marks. My wife Debbie and I own a local hardware and feed store in Campo CA. About eight years ago a bald guy with a bushy mustache in a Deputy Sheriff uniform, and a very big German Shepard named Yeager, walked into our store. He introduced himself as Larry Hammers and said that he was the local deputy for our area. He was very friendly and so was his dog as long as you gave him dog biscuits. And we do mean Yeagar, not Larry.

Larry would quite often stop in our store to chat or to shop as a customer because, after all, he lived just down the street. Larry’s wife Karen would come to our store quite a bit to pick up feed for their horses, chickens and a cow named Moses. Later we hired her to work at our store and we got to know them and found out what exceptional people they both are.

Larry and I talked a lot and found out that we both liked to off road and race off road. He would talk about when he was a kid and some of his off roading adventures. I could listen for hours. I am in a group of people who own side by sides that love to off road in the surrounding areas of Campo. We would gather every five weeks or so and explore and ride. Larry would join our group whenever he could if he wasn’t working or had a race on his quad in the desert. Larry’s passion for racing his quad was something I envied. He was very competitive and always did well.

When I could get a day off from our store I would go down now and then to watch him compete. When he finished his race I would kid him that if I was racing against him that I would kick his butt and he would always respond to me, "Come on, old man, I have an extra quad just sitting over there with your name on it. So, let's go!" To which I would always respectfully decline knowing full well that the butt that got kicked would be my own.

This is just a little bit of what I could say about this wonderful man. My wife and I went to Larry’s memorial service and we enjoyed all the wonderful stories that were shared by family members, co-workers, people he raced with and friends. After listening to these memories of Larry it just confirmed everything I knew and felt about him. He was a great husband, great father, great grandfather, great firefighter, great deputy sheriff, a great competitor, and a great community member wherever he resided. To me he was a great friend and I will miss him. – Bob Marks, Campo CA

I first met Larry Hammers at a District 38 race. He was teaching his son-in-law how to ride an ATV. He was also checking out the race. I approached them, because recruiting is so important, and asked them why Andrew wasn’t racing. Little did I know, but would soon find out, Larry was quite the competitive and talented racer. We spoke for a while, and I told him to check out our club, Full Throttle, because we are the quad club.

I began to see him regularly at races and we were becoming friends. I remember so many of the conversations we had because they had such an impact on my life. I specifically remember one of the first conversations after he started racing. He spoke about how blessed he was that he had such great daughters and how lucky he was because even though they are adults with their own families, they like to spend so much time with him and Karen. It really showed how much love he had for them. The more we talked, the more I looked forward to those conversations about life, family, and racing. Before long, he became my first contact before upcoming races. I always wanted to be sure that Larry would be there. The quad community is a very close, tight knit group and we are always making sure that we all have what we need to keep racing. As Larry shared more stories, I found out he’d been racing since the 1980s. He raced three wheelers and quads back then. I wanted to learn as much as I could from him about racing and life in general. Because he was with the Sheriff’s office, I was able to listen to the scanner on an app on my phone and occasionally hear him go on calls. This made for an even more unique friendship and brought me closer to him.

As I learned more about Larry’s life, I learned he had also been a firefighter. At a flat track race I heard him speaking with an EMT about different techniques and Larry made plans to further her training. Larry never ceased to amaze me with how much he knew and how willing he always was to help others. We went to races together, had hours long phone conversations. Any time we would speak or see each other he would always say, “Hey kid, how ya doing?”

Larry’s relationship with Jesus was always evident in how he treated others and how he acted. One day Larry presented me with a wooden cross that he hand crafted. This is one of the most meaningful gifts I have ever received. Larry recently retired and moved to Tennessee, but we would still spend hours on the phone and planned on seeing each other regularly. We were still planning races to attend and on the day of his memorial we were supposed to be racing together. You could say he was like a father figure to me. In the short time that we had together he had such a profound impact on my life that I know my life is better for having known him. I always prayed that someday I would have a friend like Larry. God answered that prayer, and I am blessed that he was a part of my life. The picture of us at a riders meeting before a D38 race will forever hang above my work bench so I can think of him when I’m prepping for the next race. I will think of him asking me “Hey kid, how’d ya do?” every time I get home. I will miss him for the rest of my life, but I know I will see him again. (1 Thessalonians 4:13: But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as indeed the rest of mankind, who have no hope.) I look forward to him asking me again, “Hey kid, how’d ya do?” – Steve Kerchner, Alpine CA

Steve Kerchner (left) and Larry Hammers (right) at arider's meeting for an AMA District 38 race