Mother of two, AutoNation exec

Elaine May, 50, of Pompano Beach, a married mother of two and a longtime employee at AutoNation, died Monday in a car crash in Fort Lauderdale.

“Elaine was one of the most beautiful people that you could know,” Mike Jackson, AutoNation’s chairman and chief executive officer said through a spokesman.

May worked for more than 18 years for the company and was a manager in corporate real estate services when she died.

“What an asset to our organization,” Jackson said. “She was someone who made a difference every day.”

About 7:20 p.m. Monday, May was in a Nissan Maxima near Lockhart Stadium, driving south along Northwest 15th Avenue when an Infiniti G35 traveling west on West Commercial Boulevard collided with her car, Fort Lauderdale police said.

May died at the crash scene. Ashley Rivera, 34, of North Lauderdale, was the driver of the Infiniti, police said.

May is survived by her husband John May — an artist whose work is seen in marketing materials for the Offerdahl’s Cafe Grill restaurants — and their two daughters.

Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca is a friend of the family and called May “a wonderful mom. It’s a tragedy.”

AutoNation employees are making contributions toward the education of the May’s daughters, and the company is going to match that, said Marc Cannon, executive vice president of communications.

“She was such a beloved person at AutoNation,” Cannon said. “The whole company, our corporate office, everybody’s heart is just broken.”

He said May worked on signage and visual displays for new dealerships and those that were renovated.

“You could not get a more dedicated employee,” Cannon said of May’s work ethic. “She loved the company and she loved the people she worked with. She was someone who just gave her all.”

Cannon said May had a giving personality.

“People in the community just loved her,” Cannon said. “If someone had a personal issue, if somebody was ill or had something going on with their family and needed help picking up the slack, she’d be the first person to volunteer.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her husband and children,” he said.

Fort Lauderdale police said in a press release that charges are pending the outcome of the crash investigation. The agency asks anyone with information to call Traffic Homicide Investigator Paul Williams at 954-828-5755.