Fire Departments throughout the Heart of Virginia, in addition to loved ones, paid tribute to Pamplin Volunteer Fire Chief Dalton Elder during a funeral Tuesday at the fire station.

Elder, 70, died Saturday after a brief illness. He served in the department for more than 50 years, with nearly 33 of those years as chief.

Fire trucks from Pamplin suspended a United States flag above the station. An electronic sign outside relayed the message, “Rest in peace #301. You will be missed.”

#301 was the code used to denote Elder as chief.

Representatives from fire and rescue squad departments in Farmville, Prince Edward County, Prospect, Appomattox, Meherrin and Lynchburg among others drove service vehicles and attended the funeral.

Sirens from fire trucks rang as a ceremonial gesture. The Pamplin Volunteer Fire Department dispatcher office read the last radio call for Elder.

A guest at the funeral estimated that there were approximately 350 or more who attended. Nearly every seat was filled inside the fire station.

A burial was held at Salem Baptist Church at Elder’s birthplace in Madisonville, and participants returned to the station for a reception.

Wayne East and Tracie Giles, with Prospect Volunteer Fire Department, said the funeral reflected the man who continually gave of himself at the Pamplin department.

“I don’t think it could have honored him any better,” East said.

Giles spoke about the emotion surrounding the last call.

Barry Vanderveer, president of the Pamplin Volunteer Fire and EMS, described Elder in a previous interview as diligent and service-oriented, someone who would often put other firefighters and the community before himself.

“He put the fire department first,” Vanderveer said. “He always did whatever we needed whenever we needed it, no matter what else he had going on.”

“He’d make a friend out of anybody,” Vanderveer said. “If he met a stranger, if he’d sit there and talk to you long enough, he would be a friend before he left.”