Grateful Web is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of San Francisco Bay Area couple Doug Clifton (69) and Katherine Velez Katz (70), who died on Monday, Sept. 15, in a tragic collision on Highway 50 in mountainous Millard County in western Utah, as reported by KSL-TV and KUTV.

Their untimely deaths have spurred countless loving tributes on social media and elsewhere. Affable, gregarious and kind, Clifton (from San Francisco), and Velez Katz (from New York City) were in a relationship since October 2018, according to Velez Katz’s social media profile. Clifton, a retired firefighter and photo enthusiast, and Velez Katz, an orthopedic operating room nurse, were often seen front and center at concerts on both the east and west coasts that celebrated the music of the Grateful Dead and their extended family of musicians.

According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, as reported by KSL-TV and KUTV, a Ford F250 box truck created a head-on collision with Clifton and Velez Katz’s motorcycle, after the truck crossed into the motorcycle’s lanes. “Speed and drowsy driving are suspected factors in the crash,” the DPS said. The driver of the box truck sustained only minor injuries.