A Middle Tennessee community has been in mourning after both Robert "Buddy" Jordan and Tiffany Stafford-Jordan were killed in separate motorcycle accidents on Old Hickory Boulevard in less than a year's time.
"They were both doing what they loved, they both loved riding, and they're together now. That's about the best way I can make sense of it," Crystal Blankenship, a friend of the couple, said on Friday at Skully's Saloon, a common hangout for the couple and their friends.
The first wreck took place in November when Tiffany lost control of her motorcycle and crashed. She didn't survive.
About four miles away on July 9, Buddy was riding with a friend on Old Hickory Boulevard near The Hermitage when police said 28-year-old Zachary Price crossed into oncoming traffic while under the influence, hitting Buddy and his friend. Buddy did not survive.
On Saturday, July 22, friends and family have planned to meet at First Baptist Church at 1602 Gallatin Road to escort Buddy's remains to Elks Lodge #2473 in Madison where a celebration of life will be held at noon.
“Hopefully, we as a community of not only bike riders but just the people who knew and loved him throughout the community will be there to support his family, each other, his close friends, and just remember all the good stories," Janine Jolley, a friend of the couple, said.
Friends and family have also been planning a memorial bike run on Saturday, July 29 with a poker draw and live auction to raise money for the family to help pay for funeral costs. Information can be found on a gofundme page created for Buddy.
While friends at Skully's Saloon will miss the couple, they hope good comes out of these crashes with increased awareness and better treatment of motorcyclists on the road.
“Everybody you see is a real person," Blankenship said. "Don’t take for granted that they’re not and that they will not be missed, that they’re not somebody’s son, or daughter, or father, or grandparent. Tiffany and Buddy both had grandchildren that they absolutely adored.”
Zachary Price has been charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication in the death of Buddy Jordan.
