The husband of an Elyria woman killed Friday in a helicopter crash in South Carolina said his wife was a dedicated full-time nurse and full-time paramedic who died doing what she loved.

Diana Conner, 42, of Florence, S.C., was working as a flight nurse on a helicopter that crashed in a pine stand 60 miles northeast of Charleston, S.C. She became a licensed nurse in 1992.

Her husband, 51-year-old Steven Conner, said there wasn’t a better nurse to be found.

“She is an outstanding nurse,” Conner said, his voice tight with emotion. “You can go and look for one, but you won’t find one who is better or who worked harder. She was thrilled to be there every minute.”

The couple met when Diana (maiden name Defibaugh) signed up for driver’s education. Conner was her teacher. They began dating when she finished the class and married a week after she graduated from North Ridgeville High School.

They have two children, 20-year-old Joseph who is in college and 15-year-old Madison who is a high school sophomore.

Diana Conner was born and raised in Elyria, and her husband said he lived in Elyria for most of his life, too.

The couple moved to Florence, S.C., seven years ago because she loved Myrtle Beach and loved going to the beach. She searched online for nursing jobs in that area, found one with Williamsburg Regional Hospital in Kingstree, S.C., and the family moved.

Conner said his wife was a woman who knew what she wanted and went after it.

“And woe to anyone who got in her way,” he said, adding they did find a home near the beach.
Working as a flight nurse “was her dream job,” Steven Conner said.

“It’s what she’d been wanting all her career,” he said, adding that Omniflight, the Texas-based company that operated the helicopter, pursued his wife for employment because of her exemplary work record.

Best friend and fellow emergency room nurse Meggin Gunn said Diana Conner was the most energetic person she knew. Gunn, a registered nurse, worked with her for almost six years at Williamsburg Memorial Hospital, where the flag was lowered by employees soon after hearing about Friday’s crash.

“She was so full life,” Gunn said. “She was very meticulous and punctual. She would show up for work 45 minutes early just so she could talk to her friends and be ready to start work as soon as possible. I don’t know how she did it. She was a paramedic, emergency room nurse and flight nurse. But she was also loyal — a loyal friend, loyal employee and loyal mother and wife. She always put herself last.”

In between her many jobs, Gunn said Diana Conner had a passion for animals and would often rescue all kinds of animals.

“Anything that needed saving, Diana could pretty much do something with it,” she said.

His wife working two full-time jobs was sometimes tough on her family, but she was a woman who had found her passion, Steven Conner said.

“We all spent our time missing Mommy and waiting for her to come home,” he said. “But she found out she could help people and save people. She worked all the time. She worked every hour that she could work. She absolutely loved her jobs.”

Conner said that much of his wife’s family relocated to South Carolina after they moved. He said having family around right now is helping him and his children cope with their sudden loss.

“We are devastated,” he said. “But we have a lot of family and support around us. We’re trying to get up and get going.”

In accordance with wishes she had reiterated to her husband just three months ago, there will not be a funeral service or a burial.

“She didn’t want any of that kind of stuff,” Steven Conner said.

Instead, Gunn said family and friends will celebrate Diana’s life 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday with a cookout-style barbeque at the Williamsburg County Recreation Center off Martin Luther King Boulevard in Kingstree, S.C.

“It will just be family and friends having a good time and sharing stories about Diana,” Gunn said. “She thought it was so morbid to get flowers and have a funeral. She wanted people to celebrate her life, not mourn her death.”

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Williamsburg Regional Hospital, 500 Nelson Blvd, Kingstree, SC 29556, or Carolina LifeCare, 1901 Airport Road, Conway, SC 29527.

The crash also killed pilot Patrick Walters, 45, of Murrells Inlet, and paramedic Randolph Claxton Dove, 39, of Bladenboro, N.C. The helicopter had just dropped off a young patient at a hospital in Charleston and was heading northeast when it crashed.

Thunderstorms and rain will be looked at during the investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

“It was a horrendous crash,” Steven Conner said. “But she died doing what she loved.”

Although all three on the team lost their lives, their sacrifice will always be remembered, Gunn said.
“Even though they died, they saved a life,” she said. “Their deaths were not in vain. It was very sacrificial.”

Carolina LifeCare will hold a service in honor of all three members of the team Sunday at the Coastal Carolina Stadium at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C.

Local friends who are interested in contacting the Conners may call (440) 329-7155, and The Chronicle-Telegram will put you in touch.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/diana-conner-obituary?pid=133513122