A FORMER school teacher was killed in a car accident in South Wales earlier this month.

The family of popular Stonesfield resident and dog lover Leigh Edgeler has confirmed that she died on Saturday, February 8.

The accident occurred near the town of Llandeilo, South Wales in the afternoon.

A member of the family confirmed that no other vehicle was involved in the accident and an inquest is set to be held, although a location and date for which has not yet been announced.

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The family said the news of Miss Edgeler’s death has ‘shocked all who knew her and prompted an outpouring of grief and many tributes on social media from all over the world’.

In a statement provided to this paper on behalf of the family, it was said that ‘all those who knew Leigh and would recognise her infectious, happy personality will sorely miss her’.

At the time of her death, Miss Edgeler was working at Tayler & Fletcher, an auctioneers and estate agents at their office in Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire.

In a statement, Tayler & Fletcher said: “Leigh joined Tayler & Fletcher in 2016 and was due to leave the firm in the next couple of weeks to start her new life running a kennels in Carmarthenshire.

“We are all shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic and unexpected loss in what appears to have been the most exceptional circumstances.

Oxford Mail:

“While the specifics around Leigh’s loss are unclear, she died in the pursuit of her dream and we all saw her excitement and determination to achieve this goal.

“Many of her friends and colleagues had already signed her leaving card ready for her move to Wales, leaving notes and best wishes for her future.

“These make for a very moving epitaph that reflect the care, support and esteem that all the team held for her.”

The daughter of publicans, 50-year-old Miss Edgeler grew up in Stonesfield where her late mother and father Joan and Fred Edgeler ran the Black Head pub for over seventeen years until their retirement.

The family then remained in the village and continued to be a part of village life.

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Miss Edgeler had many interests and experiences during her life, from time working as a purser - responsible for money and administration - for the cruise line Princess Cruises to working in America through her links with the Oxfordshire Young Farmers, a rural youth organisation.

Her varied career also included spells working in a local bank, a solicitors firm and for an estate agent, as well as teaching at Burford School and working for the Blenheim Estate, where she helped manage the horse trials.

More recently in her life, Miss Edgeler’s love for dogs and in particular boxers, filled most of her spare time.

She was a successful dog breeder and a committee member of the Cotswold Boxer Club (CBC).

Oxford Mail:

Whether exhibiting or judging, Miss Edgeler became a respected and much loved part of the circuit of dog shows and events.

As a mark of respect, a silence was held in her memory at a dog show in Maidenhead on Saturday, where she had been scheduled to judge.

Another passion of Miss Edgeler’s was baking and she would bake cakes for competitions run by the CBC or provide red velvet cakes for her colleagues at Burford School.

Miss Edgeler’s funeral will take place at the South Oxfordshire Crematorium in Abingdon on Thursday, February 27 at midday.

The family has asked that donations in her memory can be made to Cotswold Boxer Rescue or Parkinson’s UK.