Services for Edna Elder, 85, Linwood, were Monday in Lawrence.

A fair board member for more than 40 years, Elder died Sept. 30 in a one-vehicle accident involving the farm truck she was driving.

Born Jan. 3, 1929, in Linwood, Elder was involved in many organizations, from the Linwood Extension Homemakers Unit and the Leavenworth County Extension Council to the Lucky Clover 4-H Club. She also worked local elections and was a longtime member of Linwood United Methodist Church where she served as many years in varying capacities in youth education at the church.

She and husband, Jim, stepped down from the fair board earlier this year and were honored for their years of service at this year’s Leavenworth County Fair.

Elder attended Kansas University for two years and was a teacher at a one-room schoolhouse, Pleasant Valley School, where she taught all eight grades. She later served as a substitute teacher in Linwood and Basehor schools and worked at the Linwood Post Office.

Elder’s accident occurred about 7:15 p.m. Sept. 30 in the 19000 block of 206th Street, which is west of Linwood.

She was driving a Ford grain truck into a rural driveway when the vehicle struck a power pole in the private driveway and caught fire.

Family members told Leavenworth County Sheriff’s officers that Elder was unable to exit the truck and the flames from the fire prevented them from reaching her.

The power pole fell on the truck bed, according to the sheriff’s office. The power lines were not live, as the breakers had tripped during the accident, reports said.

Sherman Township firefighters and Leavenworth County Emergency Medical Services also responded to the scene.

As responding units arrived, personnel found the truck fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters extinguished the blaze and confirmed that Elder had died at the scene, according to reports.

The grain truck reportedly was returning to the farm with a full load of corn silage when it left the driveway and struck the power pole for unknown reasons. Investigation in the case is ongoing to determine whether the truck had mechanical failure or whether Elder had a medical issue contributing to the accident.