TRIBUTES have been paid to a 'pillar of the community' who died in a car crash at the weekend.
Margaret Huxley, from Overton-on-Dee, near Wrexham, died following the A487 smash, near Penrhyndeudraeth, Gwynedd, on Sunday afternoon.
Her husband Bryan, who was behind the wheel of the family's gold Volvo estate, suffered fractured legs and on Tuesday he remained in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, where his condition was described as serious.
And a baby girl was still fighting for her life following the crash as the Mail went to press.
Eight-month-old Mari Alwen Jones was said to be in a critical condition at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool.
Her distraught parents Geraint Wyn and Catrin Alwen Jones, of Chwilog, on the Llyn peninsula, were at her bedside.
Magistrate Mrs Huxley was appointed to Wrexham Maelor bench in 1992 as a member of the family proceedings panel. On Monday a minute's silence was held at Wrexham Magistrates Court in her honour.
A spokeswoman said: 'Magistrates and staff expressed their deepest sympathy for the family. She was an extremely tireless worker.'
Friend Doreen Manning, from Worthenbury, said: 'She was a pillar of the community. We were neighbours for many years.
'She was very caring, bubbly and efficient, a good organiser who was very involved in the community.'
Mrs Huxley and husband Bryan, a former Clwyd county councillor, were members of the Shropshire Holstein Society for about 40 years.
The couple, retired farmers, had three daughters - Elizabeth, Ruth and Samantha.
Mrs Huxley, who was in her early 60s, was also active with charities including the Women's Institute, the Women's Royal Voluntary Service at the Maelor Hospital and the Mothers' Union.
Bronington councillor Rodney Skelland said: 'She was very big in the community and did a lot of work with voluntary organisations. It is a great tragedy.'
Mrs Huxley was also a regular worshipper at Worthenbury Parish Church, near Overton, where she was a warden.
The rector, the Rev Adrian Copping, said: 'Mrs Huxley was always out in the community visiting people who were sick or bereaved. Many people benefited from her caring nature.'
Mari's mother, Catrin, who suffered serious injuries in the smash, was treated at Ysbyty Gwynedd.
But the schoolteacher, a well-known singer on the Cerdd Dant scene, insisted on being taken to Alder Hey on Monday to be by her baby's bedside.
The Jones family, including Mari's two-year-old brother Rhodri, were returning home when the crash happened shortly after 4pm on Sunday.
It is understood that Mr Jones, a vet at the Milfeddygon Deufor practice in Chwilog, was behind the wheel of a silver Ford Mondeo when the accident occurred. He and the little boy escaped uninjured.
They were returning from a 65th birthday party thrown for Mrs Jones's father, Gwilym Jones, in Dolgellau.
Mr Jones and his wife Elspeth Pierce Jones live in Llawr y Glyn, near Caersws.
Mari's paternal grandma Si n Jones, from Chwilog, said the family was in shock.
Mrs Jones, whose husband Trefor was also a vet, said: 'Mari's very poorly but we're keeping our fingers crossed - that's all we can do.'
Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone who may have seen either vehicle before the crash to contact them on 01492 517171.
