There aren’t many words that can possibly describe a woman who fought cancer almost continuously for 15 years.

Tough. Strong. Stubborn. Competitive. Courageous.

Lynette White was all that and more. Friends and co-workers used those words to describe her to the Suffolk News-Herald following her death on Monday.

They used some other words, too, repeatedly: Committed. Fun-loving. Good sense of humor. Energetic. Creative. Visionary.

White was a city employee for 18 years, having started out in the city attorney’s office as a legal secretary. She then worked in the Economic Development Department and later became the first tourism employee, eventually becoming the head of that department.

As the first city employee dedicated exclusively to promoting tourism, White got the opportunity to put her creativity and vision to good use. She looked at an empty city lot and saw the farmers’ market; she saw the Peanut Festival and envisioned a fundraising ride that could benefit the Great Dismal Swamp; she envisioned the vibrant, bustling place that the old Nansemond County Courthouse could be once again, when it was nothing but a long-vacant building home to wildlife.

Her legacy lives on whenever local families meet local farmers at the farmers’ market to purchase fresh local produce; whenever hundreds of motorcyclists gather every October for the Swamp Roar, raising money for programs at the Great Dismal Swamp; whenever travelers stop in at the Visitor Center — the renovated Nansemond County Courthouse — and learn a little more about the city’s history and what’s available to them now.

And she accomplished all of this while fighting cancer. Friends said White never showed signs of slowing down throughout her illness and went out of her way to make sure others didn’t feel awkward around her.

“She was very committed on anything she attempted,” said Jackie Cherry, president of the Rotary Club of Suffolk, where White was a member. “We were all blessed to have her in our life.”

Indeed, Suffolk was blessed to have White in its midst for so many years. Fond memories of her will live on for years to come.