LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Colleagues in the Southern California journalism community are mourning award-winning television reporter Mary Parks, who died of cancer on Wednesday.

Parks worked for Spectrum News 1 for the past two years. Prior to that she covered Southern California news for years at KCBS and KNBC, where she covered the Inland Empire, winning many awards for her work, including Emmys, Golden Mikes and Los Angeles Press Club awards.

Her daughter, Haleigh, shared the news of Parks' death on her mother's Facebook page on Wednesday.

"To the beloved friends of Mary Parks,

"It is with the heaviest of hearts that I share the passing of my mother, Mary Parks, who died peacefully at home this afternoon. My mother was an angel in every sense of the word, so after a year long, tremendously difficult battle with brain cancer, it is only fitting that she spend her eternal days with God and His Angels, including her mother and father who she loved so dearly."

"... All of your well wishes, prayers, cards, flowers, food, calls, and messages for the past year have all been shared with my mom and undoubtedly helped her hold on for as long as she did. Our family is overwhelmingly grateful for the wonderful people who have blessed our lives through this heartbreaking process."

In addition to her daily news work, Parks was also creator and host of "American Spirit," a weekly television series seen on PBS, Charter Cable, and The California Channel. Individual stories were distributed on Voice of America in nearly 100 countries worldwide.

Parks co-hosted the weekly radio show, "The Verdict with Virginia" on AM590 based in San Bernardino.

She also served as a public information officer for Riverside County Social Services and the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.

Before moving to California, Parks worked in local news in Tampa, Orlando, and Daytona Beach, Florida.

"Devastated to learn our beloved colleague and dedicated journalist Mary Parks has died," Spectrum News 1 reporter and anchor Kate Cagle tweeted Wednesday. "We were so lucky to have her. She always had a quip and a tip and our morning editorial call will never be the same without her. Rest In Peace, Mary (folded hands) you showed us how it's done."

Craig Fiegener of KNX 1070 also remembered Parks, tweeting: "Very sad to learn that Mary Parks @MaryParksTV, longtime Inland Empire Bureau reporter at @NBCLA KNBC-TV, has died. She was a good friend, and a fierce competitor in chasing a good story, and a respected Riverside-based TV journalist. She'd been battling brain cancer."

Pat LaLama was a colleague of Parks at KCBS and shared her lifelong love of the Rolling Stones.

"In this very competitive business, where you're always watching your back no matter how much we like to believe we're great communicators and good people, this woman was beyond anything negative," LaLama told City News Service on Saturday. "We shared a lot of love for each other."