By Holly Wells
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday, April 22, 2004
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A woman who died in a motorcycle accident early Sunday morning was identified as a UA student yesterday.
Lindsay Schiffman, who was a media arts senior, died after the motorcycle she rode with a UA resident assistant crashed near North Euclid Avenue and East Edison Street, said Michelle Pickrom, spokeswoman for the Tucson Police Department.
Joseph Johnson, a Graham-Greenlee Residence Hall RA, was driving the motorcycle.
According to police reports, the motorcycle was northbound on Euclid when it went off the road and hit the brick wall of a house. Both Johnson and Schiffman were thrown from the vehicle on impact.
Schiffman, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to University Medical Center, where she died at 11 a.m. Sunday. Johnson died at the scene.
Schiffman was 21 years old.
Noelle Gaffney, a close friend of Schiffman, said Johnson and Schiffman dated for five years when they lived in Phoenix. Gaffney, a senior majoring in English, said the two were no longer dating at the time of the accident, but had remained friends.
"They would see each other every few months and hang out. They were both secretly in love with each other but too scared to get back together," said Gaffney.
A memorial service is being held for Schiffman at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale.
Gaffney said Schiffman loved to help people and wanted to be a lawyer for battered women.
"Everyone who met Lindsay just fell in love with her," she said.
John Malek-Ahmadi and Kevin Berkwitz, friends of Schiffman, said they will miss Schiffman and give their condolences to the family.
A memorial service is being held for Johnson at 2 p.m. today in the St. Bernadette Cathedral in Scottsdale.
Johnson's parents ask that people donate money to the Salvation Army instead of bringing flowers.
Johnson's namesake was his grandfather, a man assisted by the Salvation Army, said a friend who asked not to be named.
The friend said Johnson loved flying and wanted to own an airline someday.
Another memorial service for Johnson will be held April 29 at 7 p.m. in the Graham-Greenlee courtyard. The service will be open to anyone and will include a barbecue. Attendees are asked to bring canned food, which will also be donated to the Salvation Army.
Pickrom said the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
