Ina, 81, (or ‘Meemaw’ as she loved to be called), passed away peacefully in her
sleep on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, and left a gaping hole in the hearts of her
family and friends. No one Ina ever met was a stranger; everyone quickly became a
friend or even a dancing partner. She did everything selflessly and opened her heart
and home in Lake Lure to anyone who wanted to join her in her wild, creative,
colorful world. She loved animals as much as she loved people and tended to many
in all parts of the world, including elephants on African Safari, dogs in Greece, and
kittens in Costa Rica.
Ina, daughter of the late Mildred and Ira Gottlieb, was born in Miami, Florida, and
loved spending her vacations in Lake Lure with her family. Upon graduation from
high school in Miami Beach, Florida, Ina attended art school in Virginia before
becoming a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. This allowed her to indulge her great
love of travel and art; she would photograph everything she saw and then create
art inspired by her adventures.
While her love of travel and art was great, her greatest love was her family. Ina is
survived by her brother Mickey Gottlieb, her husband Eric Kunath, her son Louie
Long and daughter-in-law Layne, step-son Vince Kunath, granddaughters Kylie and
Jolie Long, and step-grandson Zach Kunath. Ina was a very proud parent and
grandparent and their biggest fan.
The family would like to invite you to join in a celebration of Ina’s incredible life on
Saturday, July 29, 2023, from 6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. at Lake Lure Beach to share
memories and honor her life with joy. If you would like to share a photo to be
included in a slideshow her son Louie is creating, please email it to
grrlysloth@gmail.com with the subject: Ina. Donations may be made in Ina’s name
to your local animal shelter in lieu of flowers, please.
Each one of us is born with a full cup and our job throughout our lifetime is to
empty it. Ina didn’t only empty her cup, she then blew it up. May we all empty our
cups and live our lives to the fullest until it’s our time to slip peacefully into the next
big adventure, rested and ready, just like Ina. May our Queen of the Lake’s memory
be a blessing.
I am so sorry that I just learned about Ina’s move to heaven. The memories of her on the lake, at our family home, her family have been flooding around my mind. Skiing with the ski club and Robin, Patty, and Scott, . And the promise that when there was a flood, she would be out on the water and we would wave, say good morning, and set about cleaning trash away from docks, gathering lost items and placing them on our docks. We had each others backs. The Lord’s Peace to her family. Love and Hugs and Prayers…
Ina was such a beautiful person both inside and out. Her smile and genuine warmness lifted my heart every time I saw her. Eric, I know this is a very difficult time and my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
I knew Ina through her daughter-in-law Layne Long, and her son Louie. I did not know her well, but she made a big impression on me. Each time I saw her I was struck by how vivacious she was. She was so energetic and positive. She truly adored her family, and they adored her as well!! She will be missed and always remembered as a person who truly loved her family and lived life to the fullest‼️
My prayers are with Louie, Layne, Kylie, Jolie, and the rest of her family. God bless you all🙏❤️‼️
With all my love & prayers,
Terry James
I loved LLA meetings at Ina’s house when I got to see all her fabulous art! She was so multi talented and always ready to expand and learn something new. She generously shared her gifts with us as we fused glass and painted silk scarves. She and all her family are in my prayers of love and healing.
I meet Ina for the fist time at her lake boat house for a Lure Artist meeting with my new friend, Josylen Watkins. She was so friendly and always encouraged me in my interest in art. All who Knew her will greatly miss her. Ina was a leader in her field of art and loved Lake Life at Lake Lure to the fullest. I am so blessed to have k own her!
Ina was The BEST Friend EVER! Heartfelt sympathy and condolences to you Eric and family. I will miss her! We had many adventures and ALWAYS enjoyed being together. More to stories to tell…
FIRST: My love and blessing to her dear husband, Eric, and for ALL of Ina’s amazing family, friends and animals in her life. She is alive in my memory in this moment and I find still inspiring me to live to the fullest. It is such a shock to learn she is no longer with us. What comes to my mind immediately are words from Iraneous of Lyon who wrote: ““The glory of God is a human being fully alive”. This is what I knew of Ina. She continues to bless us all who knew her. Deep bows and gratitude for her beautiful life. I will share photos of her here at my home during “Plein Air” painting, for the slideshow.
Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your wife. May you be able to find strength in this tough period of your life.
INA was a gift our almighty God gave us and he took back his gift.
R I P INA
I wish I could be there, sending you all my love. She was the best ski instructor and I loved learning from her as a little girl in ski club. She will be greatly missed!
So sad about Ina’s passing. I only met her once. However, i was so impressed with her warmth and welcoming to her home. I can understand why she was loved and admired by so many.