NEAR KEWANEE, ILL. -- The crash of a small private plane in an Illinois cornfield leaves a northeast Missouri woman dead.

Peggy Middleton, 83, of Downing was killed in Monday evening's crash just south of the airport in Kewanee, Illinois.

The plane, piloted by her 82-year-old husband H. (Harold) Middleton, went down just before 6 p.m. Monday in a field of corn that had not been harvested yet.

H. Middleton was treated for minor injuries.

Peggy Middleton was pronounced dead at the hospital following the crash.

A 14-year-old juvenile passenger was treated and released.

Twila Anderson was friends with Peggy Middleton and went to church with her in Downing.

"She's my hero. She was just so energetic and never, never complained, just got in and got things done and enjoyed life and enjoyed people and was a friend to everybody," said Anderson.

Anderson  told KTVO Peggy was always on the go helping her community.   

"We cleaned up the highway in the fall. H. and Peggy were out there doing that. They work at the ballgames. She's just a remarkable person. She works in our church. We're going to miss her terribly," said Anderson.

After the plane went down, the teen-age passenger had to walk about a mile to get help.

Law enforcement officials had a tough time locating the crash site in the tall corn.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into what caused the 1976 single-engine Cessna 182P to crash.

The plane is believed to have originally taken off from the airport outside Memphis, Missouri.

Funeral services for Peggy Middleton are scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, November 28 at Downing Baptist Church in Downing. That's where Middleton and her husband attended.

Visitation for Middleton is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, November 27 at Dooley Funeral Home in Queen City.