Friends, family, colleagues and elected officials gathered in Brooklyn on Tuesday to celebrate the life and legacy of beloved NY1 anchor Ruschell Boone.
Ruschell, an Emmy Award-winning journalist and our beloved colleague at our sister station NY1, died on September 3 due to complications related to pancreatic cancer. She was 48 years old.
Speaking at her funeral at the Christian Cultural Center in East New York on Tuesday afternoon, state Attorney General Letitia James remembered Ruschell as a “brilliant journalist” and an “incredible storyteller.”
“Ruschell Boone never let cancer steal his joy. He never let cancer temper his generous soul. And he never let cancer ruin his loving spirit,” James said. “And her understanding of this city, its communities and its people really made her a New York City treasure.”
In his own eulogy, Mayor Eric Adams recalled Ruschell’s “smile, that laugh, the uniqueness of how he presented himself.”
“Energy cannot be created or destroyed. It can only be transformed,” the mayor said, adding that if that is true, “then it is not gone.”
For 21 years, Ruchell was a member of the NY1 staff, as well as a friend and mentor to many. For someone who lived and breathed all five boroughs, NY1 was the perfect fit and she joined the station in 2002 as a Queens reporter.
Ruschell “told critical stories about Queens with integrity and heart,” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said at the memorial service.
“She impeccably presented humanity in a way that only she could. “Her personality, her sense of humor, her empathy, and her storytelling always drew you in, not just as a viewer, but as a subject,” President Adams added.
“Each and every one of you sitting here are stark reminders of how much Ruschell Boone meant to this city. How he brought us together like no one else could,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. “And I want you to know that I don’t just come here to cry as Queens Borough President. “I came here to honor the big sister I never had.”
After nearly two decades of breaking the news from the street, Ruschell moved to the anchor desk in 2021, where she brought New Yorkers the latest each day at noon on News All Day, a show that highlighted her love for the community, her passion for breaking news and his understanding of the way New Yorkers live.
Despite her long list of awards and recognitions, Ruschell was always most focused on her family, including her mother, siblings, husband Todd, and two children, Carter and Jackson. Todd and Ruschell met on NY1 and married on September 24, 2005.
Speaking at his service on Tuesday, Todd said Ruschell “gave everything he could to everyone else.”
“I’m sorry she’s not here to witness all of this in her physical form, but she’s still here. She is reflected in all of you: her brothers, her children. And my tears are tears of selfishness, because I miss her,” she stated.
“But she was happy. She was strong. And I’m happy for her. She knew she was loved. She loved everyone,” she added. “And we are all better for having known her.”
Ruschell Boone, Emmy Award-winning journalist and esteemed colleague at our sister station @NY1died on Sunday.
— NY1 News (@NY1noticias) September 5, 2023
2023-09-12 21:21:00
#Emotional #ceremony #memory #Ruschell #Bonne #treasure #city
