Hours after attending a gathering for Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Sisterhood members who were celebrating their February birthdays, Rosalyn Allina and her husband James — Roz, 77, and Jim, 79 — were killed in a chain-reaction freeway accident.
The California Highway Patrol reported that the Allinas’ car, a 2004 Toyota, either was “traveling at a slow speed or was stopped” in the third lane of the four-lane eastbound Interstate 8 near the Lake Murray Boulevard/70th Street exit around 7:18 p.m. Monday, when they were struck from behind.
Both Roz and Jim were retired — she as a licensed clinical social worker and he as a dealer in European antiques.
Cailin Acosta, assistant editor of San Diego Jewish World and editor of the newsletter for Tifereth Israel Synagogue’s Sisterhood, said that Roz had been a Sisterhood board member for many years.
“Roz was in a mahjongg group that met every Friday at 12:30 p.m. until ‘time was up,’” Acosta said. “Roz was always happy to host and always said she would ‘provide the junk.’ She would put out candy and cakes for us to nosh on.”
At Monday’s Sisterhood luncheon, Roz wrote a “happy birthday” message to Acosta’s 12-year-old twins, CeCe and Alex.
“I did not think this would be the last time I would see her…. The Lake Murray/70th Street exit is the one we take to get home from the I-8 freeway. This will be emotional and we will probably not take this exit for a while.”
Bea Goldberg, a former Tifereth Israel Synagogue congregant and a friend of 40 years, reported from her home in Orange that Jim was an inveterate walker around his La Mesa neighborhood. Goldberg and the Allinas joined for lunch last week at an Orange County restaurant.
Roz Bornheim Allina was originally from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated in 1990 from San Diego State University, according to her Facebook page. Jim was from the San Francisco Bay area, Goldberg said. A daughter, Lori Laskey, lives in Riverside County.
Tifereth Israel Synagogue in San Carlos on Tuesday sent its congregants news of the Allinas’ death and expressed “our deepest condolences to all those who mourn Roz and Jim.”
The CHP on Tuesday said that “this is an ongoing investigation; it is unknown at this time if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in the crash.”
Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World, a member of the San Diego Online News Association, where a version of this report first appeared.
