Lynnette Karlton Inge

There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they are gone, the light remains” by Will Dempsey~

Lynnette Karlton Inge (Karla) was born May 6, 1973, and departed this world June 18,2023 .  In Karla’s own words- she was given 6 months to live after being told she had stage 4 lung cancer in 2013- but as with everything else in life- she was running a little late.  Karla learned to adapt to life with stage 4 cancer- living each day to the fullest.  It was not until 2023, and a new cancer that was so evil  and aggressive that it managed to take her out of this world.

Karla was preceded in death by Roy Edward Hudson, her beloved father, along with maternal and paternal grandparents.   Left to carry on the tradition of living life to the fullest include her son, Christopher “Tyler” Inge (Jess) of Amherst Virginia and Savanna Inge Conner of Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.  Karla is also survived by her mother Annette Hudson Slusher (Ken) of Lynchburg, sister Lori Gurganus of Amherst and brother Christopher Gurganus of Madison Heights.  Karla is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews- but her relationship with her cousin Chip Hudson of Louisiana, was special.  Karla loved getting to see Chip at holidays- and Chip and his wife Mary visited with Karla for the 3 days prior to her death.  The evening prior to her death Chip treated Karla to dinner at Crab De Jour- and she happily ate one of her favorite foods- crab legs.

Karla also adored her two nephews- Carson and Drake Critzer.  Karla spent many hours on the baseball field watching them play ball and truly enjoyed watching them grow up.

Karla was an information technology expert- and achieved her Bachelor of Science in Nursing  degree in 2012 from Lynchburg College.  She combined both loves and joined the clinical informatics team at Centra.  There was nothing Karla could not “fix” in the IT world- and was often sought after to solve IT issues.

Being the highly organized and “matter of fact” person she was, Karla provided the following information for her obituary-

“Over the last 10 years, Karla had the opportunity to participate in many adventures- striving to live life to the fullest despite her lung cancer diagnosis.  These adventures included snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia.  The only person her son Tyler loved more than his mother was Steve Irwin- the crocodile hunter.  Karla made Tyler’s dream of snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef  come true with this trip to Australia.

Karla’s daughter Savanna always dreamt of seeing the Roman Ruins.  This dream became a reality during a trip to Italy.  During this trip Savanna saw the Roman Ruins, the Sistine Chapel- and Savanna laid her hand on Michael Angelos’ David’s perfect derriere.

Additional adventures included multiple opportunities to go shark fishing in Myrtle Beach, Key West, and Charleston.  Karla conquered the white-water rapids of the upper Gauley River- where she swam a class 5 rapid after falling out of the boat.

Karla traveled west with Wendy Childress and her family- exploring the Grand Canyon , Bryce Canyon, and Mount Zion National Park.  Karla rode a donkey along the Grand Canyon- traveled to Lake Powell and she had the opportunity to see the Antelope Canyons.

Karla was an accomplished artist with incredible talent.  She loved Van Gogh- and had the opportunity to view all his work in Amsterdam and throughout the Netherlands.  While there, the Keukenhof Gardens did a tribute to Van Gogh, planting many tulips to replicate his paintings.

Family vacations included a trip to Gatlinburg- where Karla had the opportunity to participate in ziplining, white water rafting and the consumption of enormous quantities of ribs.  The most important part of this trip was time spent with her family- and Karla loved her family dearly.

In April 2023, Karla spent an amazing 10 days in Gatlinburg with David and Kelly Brown – and Kelly’s “crew”.  While Karla did not know that her cancer had spread while on this trip- she shared that this final trip was very soothing for her soul.  Karla and the crew ate gourmet food every evening and enjoyed visiting the aquarium, the beautiful gardens and countless hours sitting on the couch- chatting with friends who quickly became family.

Karla was an incredible person- and was loved dearly by many.  Karla had many, many friends who loved her like family- and who miss her terribly. The light of this world has been dimmer since Karla passed.

Karla’s teenage years would not have been as memorable without Andra Day- Karla’s partner in crime since she was 8 years old. The last 24 years would not have been as much fun without her best friend Julie Stalnaker. No mention of Karla’s adult life would be complete without including Michael Berenz.  Karla and Mike would spend countless hours playing scrabble and various other games- along with playing – Karla and Mike would argue over the rules of every game- all while Mike consumed every doughnut in the house.

Karla was a true light in the life of many-she  faced her health challenges head on- -and demonstrated a significant amount of courage during her final days.  The world we live in will never be the same without Karla and the bright light she shared so freely with everyone who crossed her path.