Margaret Anderson, an 11-year employee of the National Park Service, was killed by a gunman last week at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington after she tried to stop the perpetrator's vehicle on a park road. Photo courtesy of NPS.

Margaret Anderson, the 34-year-old Mount Rainier National Park ranger who was killed on New Year's Day by a lone gunman, was remembered by colleagues, friends and family this week as a dedicated mother, wife and public servant who was passionate about conservation and her career with the National Park Service.

An 11-year veteran of NPS, Anderson was fatally shot after she blockaded a road with her SUV to stop a motorist who had run a snow-chain checkpoint. The driver was headed toward the park's busy Paradise Visitor's Center and shot Anderson in her car before fleeing the scene.

Park Service officials and fellow employees credited Anderson this week for her commitment to public safety, and her willingness to put herself in harm's way to protect the public and park resources. She was one of roughly 1,000 specially trained law enforcement officers working in the National Park System. Go to story #1