Heather Kay Beals, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, and friend to all who knew her, passed away on August 18, 2016. Heather was born on August 1, 1974 in Provo, Utah to Jack and Kay Beals. She is the oldest granddaughter of about 40 grandchildren. She grew up in Smyrna, Georgia where she attended elementary and middle school and graduated from Campbell High School.
Heather had many interests throughout her life, and constantly added to that list of interests as she explored life. Dance classes, a joyful activity during her elementary and middle school years, included a few years as an assistant dance instructor. Music and dance continued to be a favorite social activity and Masquerade was a favorite haunt into her young adult years. The theater club, the Fourth Wall Players, became a central part of her high school years where she preformed in several plays and directed one, which eventually went to county competition.
Heather loved the water and the beach, participating on a swim team in middle school, and planning many beach vacations throughout her life. She loved family camping trips, going to her church’s Girls Camp for six summers during her teenage years, where she was a youth leader her last couple years, and survived several backpacking trips planned by her father. The most challenging backpacking trips were to Havasupi Canyon in Arizona, which she made more than once. One of her favorite places was packing into Cumberland Island, and was coordinating a trip for this October.
When she was 21, she served in the Las Vegas Nevada Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1995-96. Heather remembered this time of service as a time of great personal growth that was blessed by the wonderful people she served. Heather was a gifted teacher and enjoyed teaching the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class and her Relief Society class in her local congregation in Utah.
She attended Brigham Young University for two years, and later earned a BS degree in Forensic Science at Albany State University graduating Cum Laude and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and pursued a Master's Degree in Bio-Archeology at Georgia State University where she was also a teaching assistant. Heather was a perfectionist in her studies considering an A in her classes as acceptable. She was a gifted writer communicating both facts and connections in the fields of science and literature. She met the challenges of math, chemistry, and physics with determination, occasionally repeating a class because she ‘didn’t understand it’ despite passing, and became a tutor in those areas for other students at Albany State University.
Regarding friendships, Heather has been described as creating a ‘social web,’ constantly reaching out to people from all walks of life and included them in her social circle, many of them developing connections with people they met through her. Heart warming Facebook comments from friends frequently included words such as; great sense of humor, witty, brilliant, welcoming smile, kind heart and words, positive and open minded, gave unconditional love and acceptance.
She loved archeology and paleontology, Dragon Con, her dog Cyrano, curling up with a good mystery book, laughing until she would get a side stitch, getting sucked in to movies and TV shows that ran the gamut of Disney and old musicals to crime dramas, sci-fi and horror.
She was very brave often traveling the globe alone, with road trips across the U.S. and adventures in Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but most of all she loved spending quality time with family and friends. Her infectious and mischievous laughter and insightful words of encouragement will be missed.
Heather had many interests throughout her life, and constantly added to that list of interests as she explored life. Dance classes, a joyful activity during her elementary and middle school years, included a few years as an assistant dance instructor. Music and dance continued to be a favorite social activity and Masquerade was a favorite haunt into her young adult years. The theater club, the Fourth Wall Players, became a central part of her high school years where she preformed in several plays and directed one, which eventually went to county competition.
Heather loved the water and the beach, participating on a swim team in middle school, and planning many beach vacations throughout her life. She loved family camping trips, going to her church’s Girls Camp for six summers during her teenage years, where she was a youth leader her last couple years, and survived several backpacking trips planned by her father. The most challenging backpacking trips were to Havasupi Canyon in Arizona, which she made more than once. One of her favorite places was packing into Cumberland Island, and was coordinating a trip for this October.
When she was 21, she served in the Las Vegas Nevada Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1995-96. Heather remembered this time of service as a time of great personal growth that was blessed by the wonderful people she served. Heather was a gifted teacher and enjoyed teaching the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class and her Relief Society class in her local congregation in Utah.
She attended Brigham Young University for two years, and later earned a BS degree in Forensic Science at Albany State University graduating Cum Laude and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and pursued a Master's Degree in Bio-Archeology at Georgia State University where she was also a teaching assistant. Heather was a perfectionist in her studies considering an A in her classes as acceptable. She was a gifted writer communicating both facts and connections in the fields of science and literature. She met the challenges of math, chemistry, and physics with determination, occasionally repeating a class because she ‘didn’t understand it’ despite passing, and became a tutor in those areas for other students at Albany State University.
Regarding friendships, Heather has been described as creating a ‘social web,’ constantly reaching out to people from all walks of life and included them in her social circle, many of them developing connections with people they met through her. Heart warming Facebook comments from friends frequently included words such as; great sense of humor, witty, brilliant, welcoming smile, kind heart and words, positive and open minded, gave unconditional love and acceptance.
She loved archeology and paleontology, Dragon Con, her dog Cyrano, curling up with a good mystery book, laughing until she would get a side stitch, getting sucked in to movies and TV shows that ran the gamut of Disney and old musicals to crime dramas, sci-fi and horror.
She was very brave often traveling the globe alone, with road trips across the U.S. and adventures in Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but most of all she loved spending quality time with family and friends. Her infectious and mischievous laughter and insightful words of encouragement will be missed.
Heather Kay Beals, beloved daughter, sister, aunt, and friend to all who knew her, passed away on August 18, 2016. Heather was born on August 1, 1974 in Provo, Utah to Jack and Kay Beals. She is the oldest granddaughter of about 40 grandchildren. She grew up in Smyrna, Georgia where she attended elementary and middle school and graduated from Campbell High School.
Heather had many interests throughout her life, and constantly added to that list of interests as she explored life. Dance classes, a joyful activity during her elementary and middle school years, included a few years as an assistant dance instructor. Music and dance continued to be a favorite social activity and Masquerade was a favorite haunt into her young adult years. The theater club, the Fourth Wall Players, became a central part of her high school years where she preformed in several plays and directed one, which eventually went to county competition.
Heather loved the water and the beach, participating on a swim team in middle school, and planning many beach vacations throughout her life. She loved family camping trips, going to her church’s Girls Camp for six summers during her teenage years, where she was a youth leader her last couple years, and survived several backpacking trips planned by her father. The most challenging backpacking trips were to Havasupi Canyon in Arizona, which she made more than once. One of her favorite places was packing into Cumberland Island, and was coordinating a trip for this October.
When she was 21, she served in the Las Vegas Nevada Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1995-96. Heather remembered this time of service as a time of great personal growth that was blessed by the wonderful people she served. Heather was a gifted teacher and enjoyed teaching the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class and her Relief Society class in her local congregation in Utah.
She attended Brigham Young University for two years, and later earned a BS degree in Forensic Science at Albany State University graduating Cum Laude and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and pursued a Master's Degree in Bio-Archeology at Georgia State University where she was also a teaching assistant. Heather was a perfectionist in her studies considering an A in her classes as acceptable. She was a gifted writer communicating both facts and connections in the fields of science and literature. She met the challenges of math, chemistry, and physics with determination, occasionally repeating a class because she ‘didn’t understand it’ despite passing, and became a tutor in those areas for other students at Albany State University.
Regarding friendships, Heather has been described as creating a ‘social web,’ constantly reaching out to people from all walks of life and included them in her social circle, many of them developing connections with people they met through her. Heart warming Facebook comments from friends frequently included words such as; great sense of humor, witty, brilliant, welcoming smile, kind heart and words, positive and open minded, gave unconditional love and acceptance.
She loved archeology and paleontology, Dragon Con, her dog Cyrano, curling up with a good mystery book, laughing until she would get a side stitch, getting sucked in to movies and TV shows that ran the gamut of Disney and old musicals to crime dramas, sci-fi and horror.
She was very brave often traveling the globe alone, with road trips across the U.S. and adventures in Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but most of all she loved spending quality time with family and friends. Her infectious and mischievous laughter and insightful words of encouragement will be missed.
Heather had many interests throughout her life, and constantly added to that list of interests as she explored life. Dance classes, a joyful activity during her elementary and middle school years, included a few years as an assistant dance instructor. Music and dance continued to be a favorite social activity and Masquerade was a favorite haunt into her young adult years. The theater club, the Fourth Wall Players, became a central part of her high school years where she preformed in several plays and directed one, which eventually went to county competition.
Heather loved the water and the beach, participating on a swim team in middle school, and planning many beach vacations throughout her life. She loved family camping trips, going to her church’s Girls Camp for six summers during her teenage years, where she was a youth leader her last couple years, and survived several backpacking trips planned by her father. The most challenging backpacking trips were to Havasupi Canyon in Arizona, which she made more than once. One of her favorite places was packing into Cumberland Island, and was coordinating a trip for this October.
When she was 21, she served in the Las Vegas Nevada Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from 1995-96. Heather remembered this time of service as a time of great personal growth that was blessed by the wonderful people she served. Heather was a gifted teacher and enjoyed teaching the Gospel Doctrine Sunday School class and her Relief Society class in her local congregation in Utah.
She attended Brigham Young University for two years, and later earned a BS degree in Forensic Science at Albany State University graduating Cum Laude and a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and pursued a Master's Degree in Bio-Archeology at Georgia State University where she was also a teaching assistant. Heather was a perfectionist in her studies considering an A in her classes as acceptable. She was a gifted writer communicating both facts and connections in the fields of science and literature. She met the challenges of math, chemistry, and physics with determination, occasionally repeating a class because she ‘didn’t understand it’ despite passing, and became a tutor in those areas for other students at Albany State University.
Regarding friendships, Heather has been described as creating a ‘social web,’ constantly reaching out to people from all walks of life and included them in her social circle, many of them developing connections with people they met through her. Heart warming Facebook comments from friends frequently included words such as; great sense of humor, witty, brilliant, welcoming smile, kind heart and words, positive and open minded, gave unconditional love and acceptance.
She loved archeology and paleontology, Dragon Con, her dog Cyrano, curling up with a good mystery book, laughing until she would get a side stitch, getting sucked in to movies and TV shows that ran the gamut of Disney and old musicals to crime dramas, sci-fi and horror.
She was very brave often traveling the globe alone, with road trips across the U.S. and adventures in Western and Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but most of all she loved spending quality time with family and friends. Her infectious and mischievous laughter and insightful words of encouragement will be missed.
