Our Beloved Sister in Christ

Crash victim was to graduate Saturday
ISU student died when her car crossed Highway 30 median
By Angela Meng The Gazette
CEDAR RAPIDS — She was a caring person who always put others first — that’s how Renee Pinkston described her 22-year-old daughter, Michelle Pinkston, who was killed in a car crash on Highway 30 near Norway about 12:15 p.m. Friday. ‘‘She was a very strong Christian, and she had every confidence that she’d go to heaven,’’ Renee Pinkston of Cedar Rapids said Saturday of her daughter, who was supposed to graduate from Iowa State University on Saturday. ‘‘She had a sort of sweetness and f r e s h n e s s about her. She was just so animated about life, and she was very loving. She never waited to tell people she app r e c i a t e d them.’’ M i c h e l l e Pinkston was driving east from Ames to Cedar Rapids on Highway 30 when her car crossed the median and entered the two westbound lanes. Her car was struck by a pickup, then continued on and was struck by a minivan. The minivan and Pinkston’s car were then both struck by a semi-trailer truck. She died at the scene. The driver of the minivan, Deborah Nielson of Newhall, was flown by helicopter to University Hospitals in Iowa City, where she remained Saturday. Renee Pinkston said Michelle was driving to Cedar Rapids to spend Friday with the family and was going to drive back to Ames with them for the graduation ceremony Saturday. Renee Pinkston said she originally thought the accident might have been caused by her daughter being drowsy, but one of Michelle’s friends said she had talked to her just 10 minutes before the accident and that she had sounded fairly alert. Michelle Pinkston was a 2002 Kennedy High School graduate. She was involved in track, cross country, cheerleading and the National Honor Society. She was also a member of The Gazette’s Youth Advisory Council. In college, she was president of one of ISU’s dorms and a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. She received a Cardinal Leadership Award two weeks ago. The award, Renee Pinkston said, is very selective, and Michelle was honored to receive it. She got involved in art in high school and designed a badge for the Grant Wood Art Festival in 2002. From then on, she knew she wanted to pursue a career in graphic design, her mother said. The graphic design major had a lot of her artwork selected at various art shows at the college. She wanted to illustrate children’s books. Michelle is survived by her mother, her father, Larry Pinkston, and her two older brothers, David and Matt Pinkston. ‘‘She wanted to make a difference,’’ Renee Pinkston said. ‘‘She just wanted to do something to influence people in a good way.’’ (Obituary, 4B) Contact the writer: (319) 398-8240 or angela.meng@gazettecommunications. com

Michelle Pinkston Died Friday