Heather Marie Eichel was 15 weeks pregnant and had been married for just seven days when she died in a car accident while traveling to work Tuesday in Watervliet.

Her husband, Patrick Eichel, Jr., is still trying to understand why his best friend and unborn child were taken from him so suddenly.

“If you have someone you love dearly just take an extra 20 minutes and have them hold you before you go to work because you never know,” said the 32-year-old Watervliet man. “She was more than my best friend — she was my rock. She had a smile that could brighten up a room.”

Heather, 30, and Patrick were married at a ceremony in Cassopolis on Sept. 9 — around the same time they heard the heartbeat of their unborn child for the first time.

Patrick said Heather had been trying to get pregnant for about 10 years, making the moment even more special.

“She cried when she heard it (the heartbeat),” he said. “She was so happy and so proud to be a mother.”

The two were expecting to learn if their child was a boy or a girl in just a few weeks. If it was a boy, Patrick said they were going to name him Patrick Henry III. If it was a girl, they were going to name her Teslyn Jade.

“There is no sense in this,” Patrick said. “They can sit there and say it was God’s will and all that, but what sense is there for taking a mother who was trying to get pregnant for so long after she was pregnant for 15 weeks? It seems cruel.”

Heather was born in Niles, but grew up in Dowagiac as an outgoing and happy girl, according to her mother Shelley West.

Heather and Patrick met for the first time while attending elementary school in Sister Lakes.

“She loved little kids and always had a smile on her face,” said West, of Dowagiac. “We love her to death and we are going to miss her.”

Heather was on her way to work in South Haven Tuesday morning when she lost control of her vehicle while heading north on Michigan Highway 140. The vehicle crossed the centerline and was hit by a southbound vehicle.

The family has asked for all contributions to be given for her final arrangements at Brown Funeral Home 521 E. Main Street in Niles.

The funeral service is set for Thursday, Sept. 18 from 4 to 6 p.m.