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Havertown woman, 43, dies in Colorado mountain hiking accident

Regina Foley, a 43-year-old pharmaceutical executive, was hiking with two friends Sunday when she tripped and fell 150 feet.

Regina Foley, a 43-year-old pharmaceutical executive from Havertown who died in a hiking accident on Sunday, was an avid skiier.
Regina Foley, a 43-year-old pharmaceutical executive from Havertown who died in a hiking accident on Sunday, was an avid skiier.Read moreFacebook

Regina Foley, a 43-year-old pharmaceutical executive from Havertown, loved the outdoors and being physically fit.

She was an "avid skier, avid hiker, yoga all the time," said her younger sister, Honora Cutler. "She was in fantastic shape."

On Sunday, Foley was hiking down a mountain in Colorado with two friends when she tripped and fell 150 feet to her death, the Summit Daily News reported.

The Summit County Coroner's Officer ruled her death accidental.

Foley grew up in Havertown and attended Sacred Heart Academy in Bryn Mawr and then Cardinal O'Hara High School in Springfield, Delaware County. She graduated in 1992 and went to Ursinus College in Collegeville, where she earned a bachelor's degree in biology. Years later, she got a master's degree in business administration from St. Joseph's University.

Foley, the oldest of four siblings, lived in the Philadelphia region until a job in 2007 led her to Colorado, her sister said.

About two years ago, Foley moved back to Havertown, but kept a condominium in the ski-resort town of Frisco in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver.

She was an executive with Sanofi, the global pharmaceutical firm, at the time of her death, her sister said.

Foley was back in Frisco for a weeklong visit with friends. The day before her mountain hike, Foley played golf and then attended a Colorado Rockies baseball game.

In July, she was among 50 relatives who attended a family wedding in Italy.

"Life was good" for Foley, her sister said.

After reaching the summit of Mount Royal on Sunday, Foley and two men were making their way down when they decided to take an off-trail route, the Summit Daily News reported.

The call for help was made around 6 p.m. Because of the steep terrain, the Summit County Rescue Group needed to use ropes to lower Foley's body 200 feet to the base of the mountain.

Early Tuesday, her sister shared on Facebook the news of Foley's passing.

"…it helps a little knowing that she was doing something she loved and was with friends. This trip, like many of Regina's, didn't give anyone much notice (Where is she going now??) but it is no doubt her best destination yet…. Heaven is happy to welcome her, but we will miss her dearly."

Funeral arrangements were pending.

It is with a very broken heart that I share this news. My sister, Regina Foley, passed away Sunday from injuries…

Posted by Honora Foley Cutler on Tuesday, August 14, 2018