Melodie Wilson's long battle against cancer ends

Melodie Wilson's battle with cancer ended Monday night. She was 59.

Born in Minnesota, Wilson attended college at the University of Minnesota, earning a Bachelor's Degree in journalism and mass communications. After brief stints at the Mesabi Daily News and WDIO-TV in Duluth, Wilson came to Milwaukee in 1974 to work for WTMJ. Her charm and personality soon made her a household name in Milwaukee. Then, inexplicably, after 17 years, TMJ4 fired her at age 41. Their reason? She "skewed old." Milwaukee was shocked and appalled and many point to that as the start of Channel 4's downslide from prominence.

WITI TV6 hired her a few months later. In 1992, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She stayed on the air as she fought the disease.

Wilson left the air in 1998 to form her own nonprofit group for cancer survivors, ABCD, which stands for After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. ABCD celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

In 2007, Wilson's cancer reoccurred as Stage 4 in her lungs. A year and a half later, it seemed she had defeated the disease again. The cancer in her lungs and liver was gone, but her brain scans showed a lesion.

In April 2009 Wilson was inducted into the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Melodie Wilson passed away Monday night at her River Hills home. She is survived by her husband and four children.

On a personal note, Melodie Wilson seemed the consummate professional. She was that rare breed of television journalist: personable, charming, trustworthy, the kind of person you invited into your home night after night, and felt like they were more than a newscaster. They were family.

Milwaukee is a lesser place without her.