News Anchor Donna Gregory Dies from Lung Cancer: ‘She Was the Heart of Every Room She Entered’

Mar. 15, 2025

Donna Gregory.Photo:Donna Gregory/Facebook

Donna Gregory/Facebook

Donna Gregory, a veteran North Carolina journalist, has died after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer in April,WWAY 3announced on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

Gregory shared her cancer journey with viewers. In April, she published “a special message” on WWAY 3, saying she learned of her cancer diagnosis after getting a biopsy following “months of trying to determine what was causing recurring coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue and weight loss.”

Donna Gregory.Donna Gregory/Facebook

“I will be off the air for a while so I can undergo the treatment protocol doctors create. My plan is to get stronger and healthier each day, and prayers help, always,” she wrote, adding, “There is a breeze of beauty in all of this” as she thanked her “Angels disguised as friends” and family.

Gregory “confronted her illness with grace and determination, undergoing immunotherapy and chemotherapy while remaining a beacon of hope and inspiration," WWAY 3 said on Wednesday.

During her decades-long career, she mentored aspiring journalists and was a friend to many in the newsroom. She joined WWAY 3 in 2019 to temporarily fill in for anchor Randy Aldridge, who was diagnosed with cancer. Her position was later made permanent.

“Her death leaves a void that words alone cannot fill,” WWAY 3 wrote, noting that a tribute to her legacy would be held at a later date.

“For now, we mourn her loss and extend our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and all whose lives she touched. Donna Gregory will be profoundly missed,” WWAY 3 concluded.

Gregory’s children acknowledged that the community may have known her for her news coverage, but “to her children, she was so much more than the accomplishments listed in her career," they wrote in aFacebookpost.

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“She was the heart of every room she entered, always making everyone feel welcome and at ease. She could create a meal out of anything she found in the fridge, turning ordinary moments into something special.”

Gregory’s kids remembered their mom’s favorite qualities, such as how “Her loud whistle at sporting events could rival any cheerleader” and that she “somehow mastered folding a fitted sheet.”

Highlighting her “unshakable positivity,” her loved ones added, “We always knew we could count on her to drop everything for us, answer every question, and ground us in her strong faith and deep love for Jesus.”

source: people.com