Beloved Virginia TV anchor dies at 64 as wife announces passing in heartbreaking statement

Beloved Virginia TV news anchor Mark Spain has died of pancreatic cancer.

The 64-year-old anchored the news at ABC affiliate WSET-TV in Virginia for decades before working in Indianapolis, Cleveland and Jacksonville.

The veteran reporter was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer on November 27 and began undergoing chemotherapy on December 16, according to his Facebook posts.

However, two days later his wife Lynita announced that he had succumbed to the disease.

In a lengthy social media post, the grieving woman said Spain was “a pillar of the community” and had remained positive and fighting the disease in recent weeks.

Lynthia also commented on how much the journalist loved his job and thanked well-wishers for their messages.

‘Hello sunshine! It is with a heavy heart that I share the passing of my loving husband Mark. Our family, along with the city of Lynchburg, has lost a man of hope, someone who loved his city and stood up for equality and treated others with respect and kindness. He was a husband, father, brother, friend and a positive light in the community.

‘My first real love. He brought so much joy, compassion, love and strength into our lives, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew him. The past 23 years have been a wonderful journey filled with love, laughter and many wonderful memories. A trip I would do again in a heartbeat.

‘It’s surreal that yesterday was exactly three weeks since he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Our family was with him from the start of the fight to the finish, until his very last breath!

“He fought hard, he stayed positive throughout the fight and wasn’t afraid. We take comfort in knowing that he is no longer suffering. It wasn’t easy to watch him fight for his life and against this disease, but he wasn’t alone, and neither were we.

“He encouraged the people around him. He enjoyed helping others, longed for peace and was an ambassador for positivity. He loved his family and was extremely proud of his children. He also loved his job and felt so blessed to be able to do what he did for a living. He was a great journalist and took his job very seriously.

“He was a pillar of the community and people loved saying how much they loved him and enjoyed seeing him on the news.

“As we navigate this difficult time, we find comfort in remembering the wonderful moments we shared with him. Your kindness and support mean a lot to us. Friends, you showed up and came with loving support during his fight!! You were all amazing and a real village! I can’t thank you all enough for all the prayers, cards, flowers, blankets, texts, comments and checking in with us.

“This new journey that I never thought I would take, as a single parent, will be a new and challenging one. God walks beside us, guides and protects us. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers,” she wrote.

Kristen Mirand, a reporter and anchor at Buffalo-based WKBW-TV and a former colleague at Spain’s Sinclair-owned WSET-TV, paid tribute to him, remembering him as an “incredible person who inspired everyone he met.”

The veteran reporter was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer on November 27 and began undergoing chemotherapy on December 16, according to his Facebook posts. However, two days later his wife Lynita announced that he had died from the disease

In a lengthy social media post, she noted that Spain, who had been “a pillar of the community,” remained positive in his final weeks and battled the disease

Lynthia also commented on how much the journalist loved his job and thanked well-wishers for their messages

Spain had started his news career as a paper boy for the Cleveland Press when he was just nine years old

‘Knowing Mark Spain meant knowing positivity, faith and kindness. He was the anchor at my breaking news station in VA.

He was not only a gifted journalist, but also an incredible person who inspired everyone he met. Mark passed away after his battle with pancreatic cancer. His legacy will live on,” she wrote in a sentimental X after.

The Spanish colleagues at WSET remembered him and said in a statement: “His smile and positivity were known by his family, our team here at WSET, and by the thousands of people in Lynchburg and beyond who welcomed Mark into their homes every night on TV.

“When he first addressed the community about his cancer diagnosis in early December, he reiterated his familiar sunny outlook despite the difficult situation. His battle against cancer was not fought alone.’

Jacksonville’s First Coast News, where Spain worked for 14 years, also remembered the anchor.

‘We are deeply saddened by Mark’s passing. In every story he produced, he always worked to improve the First Coast.

“Our thoughts are with his wife Lynita and his three children at this difficult time,” managing director Tim Thomas said.

Spain had started his news career as a paper boy for the Cleveland Press when he was just nine years old.

He studied communications at Cleveland State University and has received honors including the 2018 and 2019 Best News Anchor Award from the Association Press of the Virginias.

In addition to his wife, Spain leaves behind two daughters and a son.