Celebrating Lynn Kotz

Lynn Kotz, a longtime Pikesville event planner who later became a staunch supporter for stem cell research, died Aug. 8 following a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She was 58. Kotzs battle with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, began about three years ago when she noticed a slight slur in her speech. She and her family expected the worst as her mother also succumbed to the disease in 1992.

We immediately were concerned it was ALS because our bubbie had the same symptoms, said Kotzs daughter, Megan Campbell. Despite the diagnosis, she continued to live a full life and worked hard to try and help find a cure so future generations may have a chance to beat the disease.

In the final years of her life, Kotz participated in various ALS studies and she worked to raise awareness of ALS and stem cell research in general, which many medical experts believe may hold the key to beating ALS and a host of other neurological diseases. Two years ago, Hadassah of Greater Baltimore began a fundraiser for stem cell research in her honor. That event attracted more than 800 people.

Lorin Kline, Kotzs other daughter, said seeing that many people step up to help with the cause, and honor her mother, meant so much to her family. It also helped her family realize just how beloved Kotz was in the Jewish community.

It was amazing to see so many people come out to support Mom, Kline said. For her, the moment symbolized just how the Jewish community could come together when called upon to do so. She was so proud of being Jewish and loved being a part of this community. It was something she always instilled in us. We saw that again at her funeral, which had hundreds of people there to pay their respects. It was unbelievable.

Kline, 32, and Campbell, 35 said while ALS eventually took Kotzs life, its not what defined her. Her daughters described Kotz as the life of the party who rarely could go anywhere without running into someone she knew.

It was this love of people and planning parties that led Kotz in 1985 to co-found Celebrations Unlimited, Inc. During the last 27 years, Celebrations Unlimited has planned countless bar mitzvahs, weddings, parties and other events in the Baltimore-Washington region. Campbell and Kline eventually joined their mother in the business and plan to continue to develop the company.

Celebrations Unlimited really happened by accident, Campbell said. Mom just loved to plan parties. It started with our birthdays, which always had a grand theme. Then, people started asking her ideas on planning events and it just kind of evolved from there. People whose events she planned werent just customers, they were her friends. Most of our business came from word of mouth.

Kline said her mother was determined to make the most out of her final years and did everything she could to ensure her family would stay strong. This included making sure she was well enough to attend Campbells wedding, which took place just four days before she died.

She had her input all over my wedding, even going out shopping for last-minute things a week before the wedding, Campbell said. It was an emotional day for me and I had a hard time enjoying the moment until my dad pointed out how relaxed Mom was that day. She wanted to make sure my day was special. Thats just the type of person she was.

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Celebrating Lynn Kotz