Retired D.C. NBC Anchor Wendy Rieger Now in Hospice Care

golding76 · ‎05-19-2012

The reason I am writing about a well-known veteran D.C. area TV anchor is that some of you lived in this area for part of your life. If you are one of those people, I am certain you remember Wendy Rieger.

She has been valiantly battling glioblastoma since her diagnosis last summer. Wendy retired from NBC this past December, saying there were certain activities she wanted to indulge in.

My heart is broken as are those of others who grew to love and respect her over the airways. Wendy was a gifted writer as well as an ace news anchor. Often, her pieces found their way to NBC national news.

May she be at peace and find great comfort in her new husband's presence. They knew each other for years at the TV station before marrying not too long ago.

Wendy Rieger

From WTOP online:

When she retired late last year, Rieger said her retirement had been in the works for a couple years, and she was looking forward to what the future holds. She talked about her farm in Rappahannock County [Va.] and pondered what to do with that land.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser honored Rieger on her retirement by proclaiming Dec. 17, 2021 as Wendy Rieger Day in the District.

Those who worked with Rieger and knew her expressed their sadness at the news.

Her former colleague Doreen Gentzler shared a photo of the two of them from October 2020 at Rieger’s Rappahannock County home.

“She’s surrounded by love and support right now and I hope she can see beautiful blue skies ahead,” Gentzler wrote.

May be an image of 2 people, nature, tree and mountain

Fox 5 meteorologist Sue Palka, who recently retired, tweeted that “words aren’t sufficient.”

ETA: Even though the online post had Sue Palka as the woman to Wendy Rieger's right, I think this caption is in error. Doreen Gentzler said she visited Wendy at her farm in October 2020, and there are leaves on the trees in the photo above . Leaves are emerging only now in our area of the U.S. That looks like the back of Doreen's head anyway. I think Sue Palka made the statement seen in the caption, but I think that is Doreen Gentzler sitting with Wendy Rieger in the photo above. (Plus, the piece said Doreen shared the photo. My error in addition to the caption's error.)

on the bay · ‎03-09-2010

That is so sad. I think news anchors that we watch every day do become part of our lives, and we grow to care about them very much.

Where I used to live, several of the news anchors would come to our childrens performances in the community and they were much more than a tv presence.

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"

debfau · ‎03-25-2010

Sorry to hear about Wendy.

Just the other week we lost Bruce Johnson, he was with WUSA Channel 9 news for 44 years and had also retired last Dec; he died of a heart attack.

golding76 · ‎05-19-2012

I am still in the area. The recent loss of Bruce Johnson was crushing.

A person gets used to the ones who come into our homes almost nightly and especially those who have winning ways. Has anyone ever forgotten Jim Vance? NO! He and Wendy were great friends, too.

It gets harder and harder to say goodbye to the ones who touch our heart. Like it or not, weird or not, some of these newscasters become part of your life. As they go through the decades with you, you hear about their family, their illnesses, their triumphs. If you like them, if they appeal to your personality, you care.

debfau · ‎03-25-2010

@golding76 wrote:
I am still in the area. The recent loss of Bruce Johnson was crushing.

A person gets used to the ones who come into our homes almost nightly and especially those who have winning ways. Has anyone ever forgotten Jim Vance? NO! He and Wendy were great friends, too.

It gets harder and harder to say goodbye to the ones who touch our heart. Like it or not, weird or not, some of these newscasters become part of your life. As they go through the decades with you, you hear about their family, their illnesses, their triumphs. If you like them, if they appeal to your personality, you care.

I am also in the area and my Parents almost always watch Channel 9 news, I myself watch ABC Channel 7 - I was at work on monday so I didn't get to watch Bruce's Memorial Service but saw clips from it.

Gordon Peterson (another longtime DMV broadcaster, spoke at the service; now there is someone who has seen quite a few people come and go.

Daisy Sunflower · ‎10-26-2010

Interesting. I was just reading an article (NY Post) from yesterday that said nearly 100 former students/staff at a NJ high school got glioblastoma -- a rare brain tumor.

proudlyfromNJ · ‎05-01-2010

@Daisy Sunflower wrote:

Interesting. I was just reading an article (NY Post) from yesterday that said nearly 100 former students/staff at a NJ high school got glioblastoma -- a rare brain tumor.

@Daisy Sunflower Looking at land not far away where there was a uranium factory for the Manhattan Project. Might be landfill from there under the school. Read about this today.

PARedbird · ‎03-27-2011

Thank you for posting this. I used to live in the D.C. area before I had to move for my job and always watched that station. Loved watching Wendy!

It was also very sad when Jim Vance passed away a few years ago too as I enjoyed watching him.

I follow Chuck Bell on Facebook and Instagram and love him too! A great meteorologist! He's a real hoot with his two dogs as he posts a lot about them!

SWEET · ‎03-09-2010

@debfau wrote:
Sorry to hear about Wendy.

Just the other week we lost Bruce Johnson, he was with WUSA Channel 9 news for 44 years and had also retired last Dec; he died of a heart attack.

@debfau

I was just thinking the same thing. I'm in DC area too. So many wonderful news anchors gone from all the stations here. Renee Pouissant died recently too formerly from WJLA Channel 7.

I'll never forget when Jim Vance from NBC4 died and also from NBC4, George Michael and Glenn Brenner from WUSA. So many wonderful people gone. I've been in the Washington, DC over 40 years and have gotten to know them (though not personally).

ceejay · ‎11-08-2015

I am a native born Washingtonian and still live in the DMV.. I am familiar with all of the news anchors that have been mentioned here. I was a huge fan of Jim Vance -- had a crush on him when I was in high school when he was new to the DC area. I am a Channel 4 (NBC) local news watcher so I am so sad to hear about Wendy Rieger. I also liked Bruce Johnson from the local CBS channel who passed away last week. Many of the the news folks in DC tend to stay around a long time so they do become like close friends so losing them is always sad.