Former WPXI reporter Kimberly Easton dies at 56
Former WPXI-TV reporter Kimberly Easton is being remembered as both a consummate professional and a kind, loving person, following her death Monday at her home in Columbus, Ind.
She was 56. Her death was attributed to a heart attack.
Easton worked at WPXI in Pittsburgh from 2003 to 2010. During those years, she left an indelible impression on news anchor David Johnson.
“She was always an upbeat person, she always had a smile,” he said. “My recollection is, she got along with everyone and was very easy to work with. I don’t remember her having a bad day, at least outwardly.
“I could always trust when I came in the newsroom and she was there, I’d get this big smile and a hello and we’d take time to talk for a few minutes,” he said.
Easton’s gracious personality was certainly part of what impressed political and investigative reporter Andy Gastmeyer, who retired from WPXI in 2008 – but there was more.
“Kimberly carried her weight, in terms of being up to the challenge and fulfilling the assignment and not disappointing,” Gastmeyer said. “Newsrooms test your mettle. Oftentimes your best behavior isn’t what you’d like it to be, but I always thought Kimberly had a high threshold for pain, in terms of not losing her temper and being both gracious and personable.
“I think those things are essential in mitigating the tension that is so often a part of a typical newsroom environment,” he said.
Easton also worked for news organizations in Virginia, Michigan, California, Illinois and Kentucky. At the time of her death, she was the multicultural coordinator for Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. in Columbus.
As a journalist, she interviewed notables such as baseball legend Hank Aaron, poet Maya Angelou, actress Eartha Kitt and political figures such as Jesse Jackson, Oliver North and Douglas Wilder, the first Black governor of Virginia.
Her biography lists recognition for professional excellence in broadcasting from the National Association of Professional Women, the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, Michigan Associated Press Awards and the Pennsylvania Associated Press Broadcaster’s Award.
Easton also founded KEI Connects, a business offering corporate media and communications strategies.
“Kim was the brightest, most intelligent journalist I have ever known — detailed, competent, professional, she had it all,” said Easton’s former husband, Andre Whitehead of Lynchburg, Va. “Though we had differences and could not continue in our marriage, I am forever grateful for everything she taught me, in getting me involved in journalism and media.”
The couple met while studying at Liberty University in Lynchburg. Easton was already pursuing a career in media and worked at the campus radio station, Whitehead said.
“I was a former bodybuilder and personal trainer, and I had a construction business,” he said. “I had a speech impediment and Kim helped me and walked me through it until I began to do voice-overs with and for her.”
Whitehead followed Easton’s lead into the business, founding Whitehead Media Ventures and also working as a radio host.
The couple had one daughter, Lake Whitehead, now 27 and a mother of three living in Columbus.
“She was a very strong woman and she knew her stuff,” Lake Whitehead said. “I was just so proud of her and the way she was able to handle a lot of things through her life.”
Even while working a demanding schedule, Easton made sure her loved ones were cared for. While studying for a master’s degree, Easton cared for her father through a series of strokes.
“She didn’t care what measures she had to go through to make sure me and my kids and people she loved had what they needed,” Whitehead said. “She always tried to make sure she was good to other people, and I know that was a struggle sometimes. Even though she was hard-core, she was the sweetest woman.
“She was a very present mom. She made sure my kids had everything they needed for Christmas and school,” she added. “She was gorgeous, so beautiful in and out.”
Easton’s survivors include a sister, Kelly Easton, and Jamie Jackson of Florida, whom Lake Whitehead described as her mother’s “adopted stepson” although it wasn’t a formal adoption. Now a journalist himself, Jackson was mentored by Easton while he was a student at Shady Side Academy and remained close to her.
Barkes, Weaver & Glick Funeral Homes and Crematory in Columbus is in charge of funeral arrangements.
Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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