Lynn Ellen Hartz

Mar 5, 1952 -

Apr 7, 2026

Lynn Ellen Hartz, 74, passed away on April 7, 2026, at home after a 37-year battle with breast cancer. Lynn was born in March 1952, in Great Lakes, Ill. She attended and graduated from Ventura Junior College, Sonoma State University in 1977 and University of Texas Health Science Center with a Master of Science as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in 1987.

Following graduation from Sonoma State, Lynn decided that she would like to go to Alaska for adventure and professional opportunities. From 1978-2008, she worked at the Municipal Family Planning Clinic, Planned Parenthood and OB-GYN Associates as a Family Nurse Practitioner specializing in women's health. Along the way, Lynn was appointed to the Alaska Board of Nursing in 1983. Lynn was the first Nurse Practitioner to serve on the Board. On the Board, she was instrumental in developing regulations for Nurse Practitioners regarding scope of independent practice and prescriptive privileges.

From 1991-2002, Lynn developed and managed a federally funded Colposcopy Project for early detection of cervical cancer in at-risk patients. The resulting colposcopy clinic manual is still being used to train Nurse Practitioners and for early screening in Alaska and many women's health clinics throughout the United States. Lynn presented the project at OB-GYN conferences in New York; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Santiago, Chile.

Lynn retired from private practice in 2008 due to health issues. She then took up editing Alaska nursing publications, first the Alaska Nurse and then later the Alaska Professional Nurses Organization with a circulation of over 8,000 nurses. In 2021, Lynn was inducted into the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame in recognition of her professional contributions to nursing and women's health.

Lynn married Jack (John D.) Hartz in Oxnard, Calif., in 1974. They had one son, Jason, born in 1980. Together the family traveled the U.S., Europe, Canada, and South America. Lynn was also a prime mover to build a cabin on the Kenai in 1980, and rebuild a new cabin in 2009-2010. The cabin was the site of many wonderful memories of fishing, friends and relatives visits over the years. In 2015, the family acquired a condo in Maui, to spend a couple months a year for rest and relaxation from Alaska winters.

Lynn was preceded in death by father, Donald VanRiper; stepmother, Norma Kurnick VanRiper; sister, Lee Nelson; and mother, Alice Schroeder VanRiper. She is survived by her sister, Sharon VanRiper (Barry Wayne) of Ojai, Calif.; brother, Donald G. "Chip" (Diane) of Ventura Calif.; husband, Jack; son, Jason (Laura); and grandsons, Max and James of Anchorage, Alaska.

The family wishes to thank Kay Lahdenpara and Dr. George Stransky, her colleagues and mentors, Dr. Robert Bosveld our family doctor for many years. In addition, we thank Dr. Theodore Kim and staff at Katmai Oncology, Dr. Laurie Bleicher who cared for Lynn over 37 years, Dr. Loretta Lee, Dr. William Magnusan of Anchorage Radiation Oncology Center and the Providence Hospice Care Team.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Planned Parenthood or a charity of your choice.

There will be a celebration of life on July 16, 2026, at Saint Coyote, 135 W. Dimond Boulevard in Anchorage, from 3-6 p.m.