Wake held for our beloved colleague and dear friend Elise Finch
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. - We are remembering our colleague and dear friend Elise Finch.
A wake was held for her in her hometown of Mount Vernon, in Westchester County.
Elise passed away a week ago at the age of 51.
Her family and friends came to Macedonia Baptist Church Monday to honor her.
Monday, a city, a community, a family, came together to mourn an unimaginable loss, to say goodbye to someone who said hello to us every morning. Who always got us going. And now she's gone.
Remembering Elise: A look back at her life in photos
"We're struggling. You know, it was very difficult. It was so sudden ... There will be good days and bad days, but we are a family of faith, believers. We are Christians, and we are thankful every single day that she was here for as long as she was," Elise's sister Kiya said.
Kiya said she is so grateful for the support of everyone.
"Prayerfully, everyone has rallied around us. Our community has come out for us. Mount Vernon has been amazing and taken such good care of us ... We just ask people remember us and keep us in your prayers. Because when everyone leaves, and there is silence, then we have to continue the grieving process in a different way," Kiya said.
Elise was a proud daughter of Mount Vernon. Her Knights cheering jacket was out for all to see.
"It is a tapestry of love from so many people, from so many facets of her life. People from elementary school and high school, but I was just also holding someone who went to college with her," said Elise's cousin Jasmine Bellamy.
"It's a really rough day," former Mayor Ernie Davis said.
Davis said Elise was a star, taken too soon.
Watch: Coworkers pay tribute to Elise Finch
"We as human beings always figure that if you get old, you die. And we are not prepared for the short life accorded to her. We are just not ready, emotionally not ready," Davis said.
"Elise is an icon. Someone who has always been part of the community that was accessible, and yet she had a larger-than-life presence," said State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Stewart-Cousins says Elise was an inspiration.
"You name it, she was part of the community in every way, but mostly, the fact that she was on television and really proving that you could do it if you just really aimed high," she said.
Sheryl Burton knew Elise not as a star, but just as the woman who lived next door.
"It was too early for her to go, and I wanted her to know that she meant something to me as a neighbor," Burton said.
On a beautiful day in Mount Vernon, so many people who came only knew Elise from television.
"You knew her, you didn't know her, she touched everybody. And she seemed like even though you know her, you could go up to her and talk to her about anything, and she'd be able to converse with you, and tell you anything you wanted to know about any subject," one mourner said.
"My heart aches for her and her daughter. You wanna say, why? Fifty-one years old, why?" Mount Vernon resident Michelle Brisbane said.
So many came to pray, and to help pull a family through.
"Faith. It's always about God. God first," one mourner said. "It will get you through it."
Family and friends will remember Elise in a celebration of life service Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. We will stream that on CBS News New York for the many people who have asked how they too can honor our dear friend.
