Lesley Van Ness: NBC Illinois anchor dies at 42 during family vacation in Florida, colleagues describe her as a 'powerful personality'
NAPLES, FLORIDA: An NBC affiliate news anchor in Illinois who fell ill during a vacation in Florida with her two young sons and her husband died on Monday, April 10. She was 42. Lesley Swick Van Ness worked as an executive for Gray Television which is the corporate parent of WGEM-TV where she works as an anchor. The 42-year-old was hospitalized and later pronounced dead in Naples.
In response to an online obituary for Van Ness, Tom and Neat Brower wrote, "In the eyes of a small community she was a celebrity," while Gray Television's vice president of recruiting, Jennifer Dale stated, "It is with a very heavy heart that we share some devastating news with you," reported Muddy River News.
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Who was Lesley Swick Van Ness?
A graduate of Illinois State University, Van Ness began her media career in 2003 at the NBC local affiliate WGEM-TV in Quincy, III, and three years later, she took the position as a weekend anchor. In 2008, she anchored the evening and late-night broadcasts for the weekday editions. In 2016, Van Ness upscaled her career and became Quincy Media's talent acquisition specialist, according to her LinkedIn page. "Family priorities changed and I jumped at the chance to become Quincy Media’s first corporate recruiter from 2016 to 2021," she wrote in her profile on the page. At the time of her death, she was serving as Gray Television's director of talent acquisition.
'She was a powerful personality'
In the post on Muddy River News, Dale continued her tribute for the late news anchor and stated, "Lesley Van Ness, who we have been so fortunate to have as part of the Gray family, passed away this (Monday) morning. Lesley had been on vacation with her beautiful family in Florida when she fell ill and was hospitalized last Thursday."
"Lesley and her husband Tom have two precious young boys.
Please keep all of them in your prayers. We will keep everyone posted on arrangements," the statement read. Her colleagues described her as someone who had a strong presence in the newsroom.
Matt Schmidt, who served as an anchor at WGEM-TV from 2007 until 2014, said, "She was a powerful personality. She could walk into the newsroom and instantly take over," and added, "She just had a commanding presence about her. Sitting on the news desk was an awesome experience." Brian Inman, WGEM-TV meteorologist said, "She wasn’t afraid to do the dirty work and wasn’t afraid to work the extra hour, especially if it was something that was really impacting the community."
Van Ness' funeral will take place on Monday, April 17, at 10 am at St John’s Anglican Parish in Quincy at 10 am on Monday.