Carla Jean Lundeberg Campbell

Published 3:19 pm Wednesday, May 7, 2025

November 15, 1949 – May 3, 2025

Carla Jean Lundeberg Campbell November 15, 1949 – May 3, 2025 If you ever heard laughter echoing from a tennis court, bridge table, or a community center game night, Carla Lundeberg was likely nearby. A lifelong sparkplug of joy and good humor, Carla passed away much too soon on May 3, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of fierce wit, loyal friendship, and deeply lived adventure. Born in Chicago on November 15, 1949, to Homer and Leontine (Larson) Lundeberg, Carla spent her early childhood in Park Ridge, Illinois before her family relocated to Dowagiac, Michigan in 1959.

She graduated from Dowagiac Union High School in 1967 and studied at Southwestern Michigan College from 1967 to 1969. Carla married Max Campbell in 1970. While they remained amicable, they never divorced—a small but telling detail that reflects Carla’s approach to life: practical, unconventional, and entirely her own. Carla shared the second half of her life with Greg Van Tuyle, the love of her life and the man who made her laugh every day. Together they made a bold leap in 1993, moving to Germany where Carla worked with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service in Stuttgart and Frankfurt, occasionally even playing tennis with high-ranking officers. She embraced European life with signature enthusiasm and mapped out trips across the continent—from Turkey to North Africa, London to the Caribbean. She always had a trip in mind, and in recent months was plotting returns to Spain, Portugal, and Greece.

After seven years abroad, Carla and Greg returned stateside, living in Woodbridge, Virginia, where she worked for the U.S. Marine Corps’ New Parent Support Program at Quantico. They eventually retired in Eugene, Oregon in 2008. Before her European chapter, Carla worked for many years as a Court Magistrate in Cassopolis, Michigan—where her sharp mind and sense of fairness were put to excellent use. In retirement, she threw herself into volunteering, giving time to organizations like the local food bank, OASIS, Waste to Taste, the Eugene Airport, and especially the Eugene Marathon, which she supported each year—always alongside Greg. Carla was a passionate competitor and a fiercely seeded tennis player in her Michigan years. She never lost her love of the game or the thrill of watching a good match.

A lifelong sports fan, she was always ready to talk football, tennis, or horse racing, and never missed a chance to cheer—loudly and loyally—for her adopted beloved Oregon Ducks. Carla also found joy in connection. She lit up community events at Eugene’s Campbell Community Center, always made fast friends over Bridge tables, and turned casual game nights into cherished traditions. She was known as a sharp, aggressive, and wildly entertaining bridge player—feared, admired, and adored by her card-playing circle of friends.

She is survived by her true companion and travel co-conspirator, Greg Van Tuyle of Eugene; her brother Jeffrey Lundeberg of Dowagiac; and a large extended family of nieces, nephews, and lifelong friends across the United States —and Europe. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Linda Wilke of Galena, Illinois, and her brother Philip Lundeberg of Fresno, California. To know Carla was to be lifted by her energy. She didn’t just enter a room—she transformed it. She had a way of making people feel like they mattered, often while beating them at cards or making them laugh until they cried. She was one of a kind, and she’ll be missed more than words can say. As per her wishes, no memorial service will be held. Carla’s ashes will be placed in the sea—a fitting resting place for someone whose spirit was always on the move.  “When people die, they cannot be replaced. They leave holes that cannot be filled, for it is the fate … of every human being to be a unique individual …” —Oliver Sacks