morning, Saturday, December 25, 2021, after a long battle with cancer.
Born on August 10, 1955, in Shreveport, LA, Grey was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather
and friend. With a larger-than-life personality, deep faith, and loving wife Kim always at his
side, Grey was able to accomplish so much in his short life.
After graduating C.E. Byrd High School in Shreveport, LA, Grey moved to Baton Rouge in the
mid-1970s to attend Louisiana State University, where he studied journalism and was a member
of Kappa Alpha fraternity. With an insatiable appetite for what’s next and new, Grey began his
career as director of cinematography for WAFB Channel 9, capturing the news for the Baton
Rouge metropolitan area. It was during this time that he met his wife, Kim, and together they
started a close-knit family of seven. Grey then founded Porta Comm, a communications
company specializing in mobile technologies that, among other things, introduced cellular
phones to the region. Years later, Grey ventured into real estate, specializing in commercial
investments for the greater Baton Rouge market.
Alongside his family and business ventures, Grey was an active and generous member of the
Baton Rouge community. Among many memberships and associations during his lifetime, Grey
was a founding member of the Sunrise Rotary Club, a member of the Baton Rouge Country
Club, and a member of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation. He served on the board of directors
for The American Heart Association and The Baton Rouge Community College Foundation. He
held positions with the Bocage Racquet Club, Bocage Estates and with Ocean Reef Country
Club in Key Largo, FL, where he spent many summers with his family. Grey was executive
director of the Baton Rouge St. Patrick’s Day Parade for many years, a Commissioner of
East Baton Rouge Parish, and served as president, board officer, and King of the Mystic Krewe
of Achilles. Grey was also an active member at Our Lady of Mercy Church, where he served as
Eucharistic Minister and led many Parish activities.
Grey was undoubtedly an expert at building lively communities around him, and nowhere is this
more evident than in his love and dedication to his family. With his wife, Kim, Grey raised five
children—Grey, Elizabeth, Morgan, Mary-Margaret, and Brennan—in Baton Rouge. Together,
and with the addition of several dogs throughout the years, they embarked on summer-long
adventures on Grey’s beloved boat Tortuga. From the streets of Bocage to the docks of Ocean
Reef in Key Largo, FL, Grey was never without his family by his side. Over the past decade,
Grey’s greatest joy was being able to watch his family grow, assuming the role of “Papi” to his
grandchildren, whom he loved dearly.
Grey is survived by his beloved wife of forty years, Kim Hebert Hammett, son Robert Grey
Hammett III and wife, Elizabeth; daughter Elizabeth Branscum and husband, Austin; son
Morgan Hammett and wife, Teri; daughter Mary-Margaret Beck and husband, Joey; son
Brennan Hammett; and grandchildren Mary-Katherine Branscum, Turner Branscum, Anna-Lane
Branscum, Robert Hammett IV, August Hammett, James Hammett, Emma Hammett, Mary-
Anna Beck, and Pierce Beck. He is also survived by sisters Susan Brantley and Cynthia
Cummer. He is preceded in death by his father Robert Grey Hammett, Sr. and mother Gene
McFadden Hammett.
Serving as Honorary pallbearers are: Frank Breaux, MD.,Fito Castalanos, Jerry Daly, David
DiVincenti, Phillip Haddad, Bo Hoover, Dan Lemoine, Marc Manasco, Reggie Mullins, Oliver
Sartor, MD., Mark Schoen, and Stephen Toups. The eulogy will be given by Stephen Toups.
A visitation will be held at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church on Tuesday, January 4, 2022
beginning at 12:45 pm, proceeded by a Mass of Christian Burial celebrated by Fr. Cleo Milano
at 2:30 pm. Inurnment at the Garden of Peace Columbarium will immediately follow.
The family is grateful to the care and friendship of Dr. Oliver Sartor and his team at Tulane
Cancer Center and to Sr. Dulce at Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center. In lieu of
flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to Tulane Cancer Center (In
Memory of Grey Hammett), care of Dr. Oliver Sartor, 922 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA, 70116,
or to The Sister Dulce Foundation, Inc., 17560 George O’Neal Road, Baton Rouge, LA, 70817,
or online at cypressspringsprayercenter.org.
