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Ana Delfosse was a Formula One mechanic and race car driver Ana Delfosse receives last minute instructions before a race in Argentina 1961. [Submitted photo] Tuesday May 2, 2017 at 6:32 PM May 2, 2017 at 6:33 PM John Darling for the Mail Tribune Ana Delfosse, owner and operator for decades of the Union 76 gas station at the south Ashland interchange, is being remembered as positive and generous friend of many — and one with a colorful and pioneering past as the country's first Formula One woman mechanic and a racer of the fastest competition cars in Argentina. Delfosse, 85, battled lethal scleroderma and considerable medical bills in recent years. She died April 23 while visiting her sister in San Diego. A memorial for Delfosse is set for 2 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at Greensprings Inn on Highway 66. A native of Patagonia in Argentina, Delfosse as a teen became an apprentice mechanic for famed race car driver Juan Fangio. She married a German racer, Curt Delfosse, was his mechanic and was herself a standout in several South American races. The couple ran the 76 gas station for many years. She carried on the business when her husband died in 1998. After huge losses in the 2008 Great Recession, she sold it in 2011. The family home was on Neil Creek Road. “She was an icon in our community,” said state Rep. Pam Marsh, co-owner of the Greensprings Inn. “She was the kind of person who knew your children’s names and always had a smile for everyone — so thoroughly integrated in our town. She was extremely colorful and fascinating, being a woman in that (racing) environment, then transitioning to a sedate life in Ashland." Melissa Jensen of Louie’s Restaurant commented that Delfosse “was one of the most extraordinary role models for women that I ever met — what inspiration and courage through adversity. I never saw her without a smile on her face and an optimistic comment, no matter what life handed her. She was the real deal, always gracious, and I never detected a whiff of self-pity.” Friend and neighbor Vicki Davis noted her affinity for animals, domestic and wild — and how deer and turkeys would walk right up to her. “She could commune with them. She worked awfully hard, long hours and gave treats to pets in your car and got to know every one of them by name. She was personable and close to her customers. She considered them all as friends — and people went to her because of personal appreciation.” Diarmuid McGuire of the Greensprings Inn said, “Everyone knew her. She was a sweet person with an iron will. She worked on the Fanzio racing team as a mechanic and driver. She would let nothing stand in her way. She was aging but still independent. She would drive up here to walk her dogs. She was indomitable.” — John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].