HAMILTON – CHCH is mourning the loss of Morning Live weather reporter Nicola Jones who lost her battle with cancer Sunday at the age of 41.
Jones died in Mexico where she had flown to a hospital to be treated for a late-stage form of cancer. She announced in April that she had an aggressive cancer and would be stepping away to devote all of her energy to battling it.
Jones joined CHCH in 2001 as an original member of the Morning Live team. A memorial on CHCH’s website describes her laugh as infectious and recalls that her smile lit up the room. “That smile, along with her intelligence and quick wit made her an instant favorite with fans”, it reads.
CHCH’s vice president of news, Mike Katrycz, remembers meeting Jones between Christmas and New Year’s in 2000, as the station was gearing up to launch its new show Morning Live.
“Nicola showed up in my office, and it was a wet day, she was wet from the rain and had just come in from Vancouver where she was working and was an aspiring actress. But she had come home here to Hamilton and she was very interested in working at CHCH,” Katrycz wrote. “She struck me immediately as a woman of poise, beauty, intelligence and wit and that’s why I hired her.”
A fundraiser planned at Liuna Station on October 28 to cover Jones’ medical expenses and air ambulance flight to Mexico will go ahead. It will now also be a celebration of Jones’ life. Fundraiser information can be found at facebook.com/teamnicolajones or teamnicolajones.eventbrite.ca
