KAY LYNN HARTZELL

KAY LYNN HARTZELL  
Died Friday, February 26, 2016, after a stroke on November 25, 2015. Born September 6, 1948, daughter of the late Carl Hartzell and Dorrine Hartzell. A graduate of University of California Santa Barbara, Kay joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1973, and was among the first female officers in the regular Coast Guard. In 1979, she was stationed as Commanding Officer of Coast Guard LORAN Station Lampedusa, Italy, the first female commanding officer of an isolated duty station. Fluent in Italian, she so charmed the Lampedusani that they didn''t want her to leave at the end of her one-year tour; she was also highly respected by her all-male crew. She also served in San Francisco, Key West, and Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, from which she retired as a Commander in 1993.After military retirement, she held leadership positions in the Zonta Club of Bethesda/Silver Spring and the Tenney Family Association, and was a valued employee of Montgomery Hospice and the Mongomery Parks Foundation, before fully retiring in 2010. She was a veteran traveler; by the time of her death, she had visited every continent.She is survived by her wife, Lane McClelland of Olney, MD; her mother, Dorrine Hartzell of Silver Spring; and her brother, Richard Hartzell, his wife Lupe, and two nieces, Victoria and Michelle Hartzell, of Plantation, Florida. She will be dearly missed by her dog Mystic.A memorial service will be held at St. Luke''s Lutheran Church, 17740 Muncaster Rd, Derwood, on Sunday, March 13, at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please give to the charity of your choice in honor of Kay. You might consider one of Kay''s favorite charities: St. Jude''s Children''s Research Hospital, Smile Train, and ALS Association.