A memorial service for National Park Service Ranger Margaret Anderson, who was murdered at Mount Rainier National Park on New Year's Day while trying to intercept a man, has been set for Tuesday in Tacoma, Washington.

The service will be at 1 p.m. on January 10th, at Pacific Lutheran University (12180 Park Avenue S, Tacoma, Washington). Arrangements are in progress and will be shared as they become available.

Ranger Anderson, a 34-year-old law enforcement ranger, was shot and killed when she tried to intercept Benjamin Colton Barnes' car as it fled a routine checkpoint where park visitors were checked to see if they had chains for their tires. At a point on the road above Longmire and about a mile from Paradise the ranger used her cruiser to block the road so she could stop the man shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday.

Authorities say Mr. Barnes jumped from his car and opened fire with a shotgun, fatally wounding Ranger Anderson. The next day he was found dead in a steep, rugged area of the park near Narda Falls.

In a statement released by the Park Service, the ranger's family members extended "their deepest gratitude and profound appreciation for all the expressions of sympathy, cards, meals and prayers upon the loss of our beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. We appreciate the opportunity to grieve in private."

The family asks that donations be made in lieu of flowers. They should be sent to KeyBank, P.O. Box 159, Eatonville, WA 98328. Checks should be made out to the Margaret Anderson Donation Account.

All correspondence, including requests for information, resource offers, and condolences, should be sent to [email protected]. Please send any photos of Margaret for inclusion a multimedia presentation at the memorial to the above address.

In honor of Ranger Anderson, the United States flag will be lowered to half-staff in the Pacific West Region until sunset on the date of interment, as authorized in a January 3rd memo from Pacific West Regional Director Chris Lehnertz.

All other regions are authorized to lower flags to half-staff on the day of interment until sunset.

Mourning bands are authorized for uniformed employees to honor the life and service of Ranger Anderson until sunset on January 31, 2012.

Ranger Anderson worked for the National Park Service since the summer of 2000 when she was a seasonal ranger at Bryce Canyon National Park. She did her field training at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and worked at Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park before  transferring to Mount Rainier.

She is survived by her husband, Eric, also a park ranger at Mount Rainier, and two young children.