A pillar of the East End farming community was killed Thursday afternoon in a farming accident.

Police say Lyle Wells was working on his farm when he somehow became entangled in a spreading machine he was pulling by tractor.

The incident happened at The Wells Homestead Acres Farm in Aquebogue.

News 12 Long Island has interviewed Wells many times over the years. The 62-year-old was a member of a historic North Fork farming family and a longtime former member of the Riverhead Planning Board.

A member of the Wells family purchased what’s considered the Wells Homestead back in the 1660s, and it has stayed a family farm ever since. Wells was extremely proud that he was part of one of Long Island’s oldest families.

“He was a real community person and he was a big asset,” says Southold farmer Al Krupski. “It's hard to find people like that, who are so connected and so caring about what what went on in agriculture but also in the whole community.”

What many will remember most about Lyle Wells was his lifelong passion for farming and his efforts to keep it vibrant for future generations. 

“Lyle helped found the TDR program, the transfer of development rights program, to preserve farmland in Riverhead,” says Rob Carpenter, of the Long Island Farm Bureau. “He really, truly gave back to the community more than he got from it. He will be missed.”

But that’s not all people will remember about Wells.

"Very, very funny guy, and had an infectious laugh and I always will remember that and I always will hear it in the back of my head," says Frank Beyrodt, of Delea Sod Farm. “

Funeral services have not yet been announced.