Many residents in Airdrie, north of Calgary, are mourning the loss of a woman who is being remembered for her passion, purpose and ability to inspire others.
Katie Heaven, 47, died on Saturday while hiking Mount Bryant in Kananaskis Country.
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Emergency crews, including RCMP, ALTA Paramedic Health and STARS air ambulance, attended the scene at 10:45 a.m. along Range Road 73A.
Heaven had been with a group at the time of the incident, according to Cpl. Mathew Howell, public information officer with the Alberta RCMP.
He said STARS assisted in the recovery of Heaven’s body.
Kelli Ellingson, a close friend of Heaven’s, said, “the mountains were her sanctuary.”
“When life became busy and demanding, she found peace among the peaks. Scrambling was more than a hobby, it was therapy for her soul,” she said in a statement.
“The mountains helped her recharge, reflect, and return with renewed energy to continue serving the people she loved. They were where she felt most alive, most free, and most connected to herself.”
Ellingson says her final adventure was hiking the east ridge of Mount Bryant when a rock separated from the peak and she fell.
“There is something profoundly fitting about the fact that Katie left this world doing what she loved most. She lived boldly, embraced adventure, and followed her passions without hesitation,” she said.
Katie’s legacy will live on: friend
Ellingson was a close friend of Heaven’s for years, and that friendship turned into a partnership with K&K, a company that helps organize graduation banquet events for Airdrie high schools.
Ellingson said that idea began in 2019, when Rocky View Schools announced it was moving away from the idea of graduation events.
“Rather than accept that graduation would simply pass without recognition, we stepped forward as volunteers and created something ourselves,” she told CTV News Monday.
Ellingson said she and Heaven sought to foster a safe space for students to celebrate their graduation.
“Too often, graduation celebrations ended early, and students scattered to unsupervised parties,” she said.
In 2026, Ellingson said they welcomed more than 1,100 attendees to each of the events held for Airdrie graduates. She adds she couldn’t have done it without Heaven’s support.
“She poured her heart into every event, every family, and every student. Her passion, generosity, and commitment to this community helped build something truly special,” Ellingson said.
“The legacy she leaves behind is not only in the events we created but in the thousands of graduates and families whose lives she touched along the way.”
Ellingson says Heaven was the love of a lifetime to her husband and a devoted and caring mother to her children, along with being a mentor to her family and source of support for her friends.
In a statement released late Saturday after the incident, Ellingson shared fond memories of Heaven.
“There are some people who come into your life and leave footprints on your heart forever. She was one of those people. Through countless conversations, laughter, challenges, dreams, and successes, we built not only a business together but a friendship that meant the world to me,” she said.
“While the pain of losing her is incredibly overwhelming, there is comfort in knowing that she passed doing what she absolutely loved. Katie lived with passion, purpose, and a spirit that inspired everyone around her.”
Ellingson said Heaven’s family is still processing the loss and details about a memorial are not immediately available.
