Alison Parker, Adam Ward, Virginia shooting victims, remembered fondly

Television reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, who were shot to death during a live broadcastnear Roanoke, Va., were remembered Wednesday as bright young journalists with promising futures.

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Both had started out as interns at CBS affiliateWDBJ7andwere planning to marry co-workers.

"I cannot tell you how much they were loved," WDBJ general manager Jeff Marks said during a sombre broadcast paying tribute to the two. Station employees could be heard crying in the background.

"These two were more than what you saw here on TV. They were much, much more," anchorwoman Kimberly McBroom said.

Fellow journalists from across the worldwere also paying tribute to the two using the hash tag #WeStandWithWDBJ.

Read more aboutParker, Ward and Vicki Gardner, the woman who was being interviewed on WDBJ and was also shot and who is recovering in hospital:

Alison Parker

Parker had just celebrated her 24th birthday and had recently completed a special report on child abuse for the station.

She was born inMartinsville, Va., andattended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., where she was an editor at the school's newspaper, The Breeze. Her strengths in school were math and science and she had planned on being a doctor or pharmacist before turning to journalism.

At WDBJ, she was known as a reporter with boundless energywho excelled at her job andcould tackle tough topics but also hada less-serious side.Her Facebook feed was punctuated with funny videos and photos of her smiling, ear-to-ear, often while on assignment with Ward.

According to herFacebook page, she spent most of her life in the Martinsville areawhere she was an avid kayaker and attended community theatreand other artsevents in her spare time.

In a promotional video she didfor WDBJ, she saidthe "most thrilling" thing she hadever done was take a trip to the Grand Canyon with her family and ride horseback down the canyon.

She enjoyed the arts and the outdoors. Sheplayed trumpet and french horn in high schooland, according to her promotional video,loved Mexican food.

"The spicier the better," Parker said in the video.

WDBJ anchor Chris Hurst said he was in arelationship with Parker for the past nine months but the two had not shared it publicly. In a series of tweets, he said heand Parker "were very much in love."

He said they had just moved in together and wanted to get married.

"I am numb," he tweeted.

"She was the most radiant woman I ever met. And for some reason she loved me back. She loved her family, her parents and her brother."

Hurst said the two had been whitewater rafting inNorth Carolina last week to celebrate Parker's birthday.

She was known by co-workers as bubbly andsmart and someone who tookquickly toher job, working her way up to full-time reporter and substitute anchor by her early 20s. When colleagues suffered personal hardships, she would console themor bring food or flowers to their door, they said.

Her father, Andy Parker, 62, told the Washington Post Wednesday: "My grief is unbearable. Is this real? Am I going to wake up? I am crying my eyes out. I don't know if there's anybody in this world or another father who could be more proud of their daughter."

Adam Ward

Ward, 27, graduated from Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., and was engaged to a producer at the station, Melissa Ott.

WDBJ spokesman Mike Morgan said Ott was watching the broadcast when the shootings occurred. She was about to move to a new job in Charlotte, N.C., andWednesday was her last day at the station.

Ward was expected to move with Ott and the two had beenplanning their wedding, according to WDBJ.

"Adam was our go-to guy," Morgan said. "He pretty much was available to do anything that we asked. He did live shots during our morning show for several years."

Anchor Chris Hurst described Ward as a "dotingfiance" and a "guy who everybodygenuinely wanted to be around."

Ward worked frequently with Parker. Hurst said they were out in the field nearly every day together, working as a team.

"For him and Alisontoboth be gone isunfair," Hurst said in a special tribute to the two that aired onWDBJWednesday evening.

Ward, who grew up in Salem, Va.,was described by colleagues as fun-loving and reliable.

"He proved himself to be just a fine photojournalist, and the kind of guy who [when he] was on his way home from work and heard about something breaking, he would just turn around and go do it," saidMarks in the station's on-air remembrance of Parker and Ward.

"There were a lot of good things happening for Adam," said anchor McBroom.

Jay Webb, a former meteorologist atWDBJ, said Webb"was the kind of guy you wanted to be around, especially at three in the morning."

Ward had played football at Virginia Tech and remained a devoted fan of the Hokies,his former team,rarely missing a game.

"He was quite a talker, and he loved sports and politics," saidRobert Denton, head of the communications department at Virginia Tech,whohanded Ward his diploma whenhe graduatedin 2011.

"You could not be around him and not have a wonderful conversation."

Vicki Gardner

At the time of the shooting, Parker was interviewingVicki Gardner,executive director of the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce. Gardner was shot in the chest and underwent surgery in hospital.

A spokesman for the health-care organization that administers the hospital where Gardner is being treated said she wasin stable condition.

Gardner was being interviewed aboutevents celebrating the 50th anniversary ofSmith Mountain Lake, for which she was a passionate advocate, according to WDBJ.

According to her LinkedIn page, Gardnerhas been with the chamber since 2002. She also sat on the boards of various local organizations and had beeninterviewed on WDBJ many times.

CNN reported that the chamber's chairman, Troy Keaton, told mediaGardner was "an exceptional bright light in this community."

"We stand with her 100 per centand are praying for her and are thankful that she is in stable condition and is in good hands," he said. "We just want her to know, and this community to know, that Vicki has been a champion for us for more than a decade."

TheRoanoke ValleyConvention and Visitors Bureau alsotweeted best wishes for Gardner's recovery.

A prayer vigil for Gardner is to be held at 7 p.m. ET atBethlehem United Methodist Church in Moneta. Va.