Lorie McNaughton, a former CBC-TV host in Calgary, died Thursday. (CBC)

Lorie McNaughton, a former CBC-TV host in Calgary, died Thursday morning after a battle with lymphoma.

McNaughton, 48, was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago and had been in and out of hospital for treatment. She had been staying at her Calgary home for the past few weeks but was in hospital on Tuesday.

"She was an amazing woman who, in her struggles with her disease, was an inspiration for us all," friend and colleague Annie Chirka wrote in an email on Friday.

Raised in Saskatchewan, McNaughton was a reporter for CKSA in Lloydminster and CBC-TV in Regina. She also worked on 24 Hours at CBC-TV in Winnipeg and hosted the late-night newscast there.

She anchored Calgary Tonight and later Canada Now in Calgary from 1999 to 2003.

"If you were lucky enough to know her or meet her, you will remember a woman who sparkled," said friend and colleague Leslie Kramer. "She was kind and funny and possessed a sense of joy that was infectious. She will be terribly missed."

Behind the camera, McNaughton ensured there was always cake to celebrate co-workers' birthdays — or just when she felt like bringing in a treat, recalled Kramer.

McNaughton is survived by her parents, her husband, Jim, and three young children.

Visitation at Foster's Garden Chapel, across from Queen's Park Cemetery, will be held Monday from 7 to 9 p.m., with a memorial service at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the Centre for Positive Living in southeast Calgary. McNaughton's family has asked that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations be made to the Terry Fox Foundation.