Family, friends and law enforcement officers from close to home and throughout the country gather to pay their respects to State Trooper Amanda Anna. Trooper Anna died last weekend after an on-duty crash in Hastings, a death that has touched many communities. Our Candace Hopkins has more from Fulton.

  To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.

Then come back here and refresh the page.

OSWEGO COUNTY, N.Y. -- All afternoon Thursday, a long line stretched out of Foster Funeral Home in Fulton as loved ones and colleagues gathered to start the painful process of saying good bye to Trooper Amanda Anna.

"It's just a very difficult time. Laying one of their own to rest is never easy, especially when you work with that person day in and day out," said Troop D Commander Major Rodney Campbell.

Hundreds turned out for Thursday's calling hours, including many who had known Trooper Anna since childhood, like her former music teacher, Dan Duggan.

"She was a great athlete, a great basketball player and she was just very well-rounded and I think people will probably best know her for her personality," said Duggan.

A personality described as bubbly, outgoing, and always optimistic by Duggan.

Duggan said, "Very positive, very upbeat and it was very hard to bring her down."

Trooper Anna's friends say her greatest passion in life was helping others and her dedication to that goal was her driving force.

"She really wanted to be a Trooper, but she loved working with kids, too. She just liked working with people, whether she was on the force or in the classroom, she was working with people," said Jeff Waldron, who worked with Anna at Fulton Junior High School.

Now her death has brought police officers from throughout Central New York and far beyond together in a bond that is shared throughout the country.

"We wanted to honor her. It takes a special person to be out there every day to do this. We're here to give our condolences and mourn with them. We are a big family in law enforcement," said Corporal Veronica Garcia, a Texas State Trooper.

Trooper Anna leaves behind her fiancé, a four-year-old son and a void that can never be filled.

"She'll be very severely missed, that's for sure," said Duggan.

That's a thought shared by so many Thursday and hundreds more are expected for Friday's funeral.

We'll have live coverage of the funeral on YNN and here at YNN.com.