It is with deep sorrow and much love that we announce the passing of Karla Lydia Dykes, age 62, of Headland, Alabama, who entered into rest unexpectedly on September 12, 2025.
A Celebration of Life service will be held this autumn at Gateway Church in Headland, Alabama, with Pastor Ruth Jones officiating.
Karla lived a joyful and vibrant life. She spent her youth in Alabama, Florida, and Colorado, and throughout her life she treasured the outdoors, swimming, and riding her motorcycle. She especially cherished spending time with her family—most of all her beloved nieces and nephews—as well as her friends, neighbors, and church family.
In 2007, Karla made her home in Headland, where she became a devoted member of Gateway Church. She was baptized there and found great joy in singing contemporary Christian music. Karla was known for her kindness, love, and a welcoming spirit that touched everyone she met.
She was preceded in death by her father, Fred M. Dykes; stepfather, Robert L. Carroll; maternal grandparents, Luke and Vera Lee Copeland; and paternal grandparents, Fred and Edna Lydia Dykes.
Left to cherish her memory are her mother, Mary Juanita Carroll; two sisters, Kathy Taylor and Kay Hand; her brother-in-law, Danny Hand; her brother, Kim Dykes; four step-siblings; and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear friends.
Karla’s warmth, generosity, love for God, and love for life will be remembered always by those blessed to know her.
