LAYTON -- A women who grew up in Davis County and was killed in a Nepal plane crash on Tuesday had been on her way to fulfill a longtime dream of scaling Mount Everest with one of her best friends.
Heather Finch, 40, and her friend and co-worker Leuzi Cardoso, 50, were riding in a small passenger plane just outside of Nepal when the plane crashed in heavy rain. All 14 passengers were killed.
"Heather and Leuzi worked together and became very good friends. They were joined at the hip," said Finch's mother, Karla Johnson, a quality-control director at Davis Hospital and Medical Center. "Those two have hiked both ways of the Grand Canyon. They've gone trekking and snowshoeing. They've had this date set for 18 months. It was something they both really wanted to do. A dream they've had for a very long time."
Finch was born in Oklahoma but moved to Davis County when she was a child. She attended elementary school in West Point and graduated from Clearfield High School before moving on to college to become a paralegal for the Provo law firm Howard, Lewis and Petersen.
"She worked there for 16 years. Her husband, Doug, is an attorney. He had five children, and she took those children and raised them into wonderful people. They loved her dearly and are going to be lost without her," Johnson said.
Johnson said her daughter spoke with her husband right before she boarded the plane.
"He said she was laughing and giggling and the sun was shining. She was just very happy. She was ready to go on this great adventure," Johnson said.
Finch was the oldest of two children.
Her sister, Brittany Dietrich, also works at Davis Hospital and Medical Center as a medical staff coordinator.
"She is totally distraught," Johnson said. "They were very close. Like two peas in a pod. They sent text messages to each other 100 times a day."
Johnson said Finch was a peacemaker who was always concerned for others.
"She was outgoing and bubbly. She always had a smile for everyone and wanted to make sure their needs were taken care of," she said. "She was vibrant and conscientious, an amazing wife and mother. It's hard to put into words what a special person she was. This is going to be very hard for us."
Lora Kier, Davis Hospital and Medical Center public relations director, said the hospital staff is heartbroken over the loss of Finch.
"Karla and Brittany are very dear to us, and we are heartbroken over this," Kier said. "Our hearts go out to them at this tragic time."
Funeral arrangements are pending. However, Johnson said her daughter likely will be buried in Clinton.
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