A beloved TV meteorologist at a local news station in the New York metro area passed away unexpectedly over the weekend.
Elise Finch, of WCBS, is reported to have died suddenly on Sunday at the age of 51, though no cause of death has been revealed as of yet, according to Fox News.
Her many colleagues and friends at the news station were understandably in mourning and full of grief in reaction to the untimely loss of their popular co-worker.
"It is with profound sadness that we share news of the passing of our beloved Elise Dione Finch Henriques," WCBS announced Monday. "Elise has been a friend and team member at WCBS for 16 years."
"She first joined the team in 2007 as our weekend meteorologist and was most recently on the morning news with Mary Calvi and Chris Wragge. In September, Elise joined Cindy Hsu on the 9 a.m. newscast."
Described as the station's "bright light in the morning," the outlet said, "Elise was a gifted and consummate professional who took great care with her work. She was also a wonderful ambassador in the community, including her hometown of Mount Vernon."
Finch last appeared on air on Friday, and nothing seemed amiss at that time, "leaving us all trying to understand how this could happen to our beautiful Elise, who was just 51 years old."
WCBS went on to note that Finch was born and raised in Mount Vernon, earned a bachelor's degree and prestigious President's Award from Georgetown University, and went on to obtain a master's degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University.
She also met the love of her life at WCBS, photojournalist Graig Henriques, whom she wed nearly a decade ago and with whom she had a daughter named Grace.
"Truly, every day was a good day when we were with Elise, and we will miss her dearly," the station said. WCBS also aired an emotional tribute to their late beloved colleague that featured numerous photos and video clips of her working, palling around behind the scenes, and revealing her deep and abiding love for music.
Tributes to Finch also appeared on social media from several of her colleagues, including reporter Tony Aiello, who said, "Elise Finch loved music. The song of her life deserved many more verses. Her gifts were many, and so too the lives she touched. My deepest condolences to Graig and little Grace, her parents and sister, and all our CBS2 family."
Anchor and reporter Jessica Moore shared several pictures of her and Finch and wrote, "Elise was fiercely loyal to those she loved, a straight shooter, a consummate professional, and made me laugh until I cried. But above all she was completely devoted to her family, especially her daughter Grace. I love you so much, my friend. Heaven now has an angel like no other."
Morning co-anchor Chris Wragge tweeted, "My heart is broken. Our team will never be the same. No one matched musical wits better. I’ll miss you much."
Fellow morning co-anchor Mary Calvi has not yet publicly commented on the loss, but her husband, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, posted a picture of Finch's wedding and said, "In 2013, I had the opportunity to officiate Elise Finch's wedding," and added, "She was a longtime friend and colleague of my wife @MaryCalviTV. I will remember her vivaciousness, bright smile, and dedication to her work."
