WCBS/2 meteorologist Elise Finch dies at 51, station says

WCBS/2 meteorologist Elise Finch was remembered by friends and colleagues for her dedication to both her job and her community Monday, a day after the television station where she worked for 16 years announced she had died.

“Her death is sudden and unexpected, leaving us all trying to understand how this could happen to our beautiful Elise,” a story on the CBS New York website said.

Finch, 51, died Sunday at a local hospital. The cause of death has not been determined, the story said. She was last on air July 14.

She was a multiple award-winner and was a proud daughter of Mount Vernon, where she was born, the story said.

After graduating from Mount Vernon High School, she went on to Georgetown University, graduating with a bachelor of science degree and receiving the President's Award, WCBS/2 said. She earned a master of science degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University. 

Finch joined WCBS/2 in 2007 as a weekend meteorologist. Later she moved on to the morning news, and in September, she joined the 9 a.m. newscast with Cindy Hsu.

She and Graig Henriques, whom she met at CBS New York, married 10 years ago. They had a daughter, Grace, according to the station.

Finch was a member of the Westchester County chapter of Jack and Jill of America, a leadership organization for African American mothers founded in 1938 with the intention of bringing kids together in a social and cultural setting.

Dawn Hankin is the president of the Westchester County Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. She said she knew Finch for 15 years through the organization and they also bonded over both being members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She remembered Finch as a great friend who despite a busy schedule always made time if she was needed.

“She really used her resources and access to help others,” Hankin said.

She said her warm spirit and infectious smile were remarkable and left those around her feeling happy and positive.

How Finch lived her life is the legacy she leaves Grace, Hankin said.

“To be active in the sorority, to be active in Jack and Jill, to be present in her community,” Hankin said. “She also had a very tightknit circle of friends for many years, that’s probably what will resonate with her daughter and certainly her husband.”