RALEIGH
Donna Gregory, the longtime WRAL news anchor and familiar face broadcasting Raleigh’s Christmas Parade, has died after a fight with lung cancer.
Her brother and former colleague Julia Sims Milstead confirmed Gregory’s death Wednesday.
“Donna was a force,” she said. “As a new reporter back in the day at WRAL, I was blown away by her. Nothing rattled her. Nothing. And as a person, boy, she loved her four children. Her children, her family, and her faith were so important. I always admire that about her.
“She fought cancer with all her might and we are all heartbroken today.”
Donna Gregory at WRAL
A fixture at WRAL from 1988 to 1996, Gregory co-anchored the 5:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts. Along with hosting the Christmas Parade, she frequently covered the NCAA’s Final Four basketball tournaments for the station when Triangle teams played.
A specialist in news features, Gregory hosted a special at WRAL about teen pregnancy in North Carolina called “Kids Having Kids.”
Most recently, she served as nighttime anchor at WWAY in Wilmington, where she announced her cancer diagnosis in April along with plans to take a medical break.
“When we think of the moments in life that take our breath away, they are usually bits of beauty: the birth of a baby, a stunning sunset, a perfectly prepared and presented meal,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “But then there are the knock-out punches you don’t see coming that can leave you struggling to catch your breath. An unexpected medical diagnosis does that.”
‘Such a light’
Another longtime Triangle anchor, Frances Scott from WTVD, described Gregory as “such a light,” and recalled the comfort she gave in 2012 after Scott underwent double hip replacement surgery.
“After my first surgery,” Scott posted on Facebook, “she brought my family lasagna and brisket and BBQ and so much yummy food. After I left work and was feeling really sick and down and having trouble on my feet or processing why I was doing so horribly, physically and cognitively, Donna took my kids and me to her place at the beach. I laid on the beach with her daughter, and we all laughed and took pictures of the seagulls snatching Goldfish crackers. ... It was a great day in the middle of a dark time.”
Reporters Martha Quillin and Brooke Cain contributed.
This story was originally published November 20, 2024 11:49 AM.