Lynn Auerbach Kaplan

Lynn Susan Auerbach Kaplan was a beloved daughter, friend, wife, mother, teacher and advocate for many important causes.

She was born June 30, 1940 in Easton, PA to parents Minerva (Bugen) and Georg Auerbach. Lynn graduated from Easton High School and attended Arcadia University for two years. Ready for a large, co-ed campus, Lynn transferred to the University of Michigan and graduated with a degree in elementary education. Later, she earned a Master’s degree in elementary counseling from the University of Pennsylvania. Lynn taught fourth grade for seven years before becoming a mother and focusing her energy on raising her children and volunteering.

Lynn met the love of her life, Dr. Stephen Kaplan, when he was home on a short vacation while serving for the US Public Health Service in Ecuador. They later dated and then married on December 18th, 1966. Lynn and Steve began their family life in Philadelphia, later moving to Harrisburg and ultimately relocating to the Altoona, PA area when Steve accepted a position at Altoona hospital.

Lynn’s greatest love was family: husband Steve, children Julie, Gabrielle and Jonathan and beloved grandchildren Ben, Jake, George, Max, Jeremy and Mira. After Lynn’s father Georg died, she devoted herself to her mother’s care. Lynn is also remembered as a wonderful aunt, cousin and friend to many. Before there was a term for ‘ally,’ Lynn was there for her dear friends in the LBGTQ+ community. Lynn was also known as a dog lover, sharing her life with animal companions Joshua Russel, Charlie, Suzee and most recently, Benjee.

In 2015, just five years before her death, Lynn was blessed to meet her half-sister Shirley, who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lynn’s father Georg’s family was broken apart by the Holocaust and he was never reunited with his daughter Shirley. Shirley and Lynn stayed in close touch for the five years that they shared together.

Lynn dedicated her energy to causes that she believed in, including Hadassah, the American Heart Association and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art. Lynn was an active member of Temple Beth Israel in Altoona and also loved acting in community theater.

Lynn was known for her sparkling personality, her sense of humor, outgoing nature and way of treating every person she met with dignity, kindness and caring. Lynn was down-to-earth and fun to spend time with. Her Jewish faith and spirituality were an important part of her life. Every night before bed, she asked for her family to be blessed.

Lynn had a terrific sense of fashion. She loved to accessorize, change her hair and find fabulous clothes on sale. She always looked for special items for her grandkids and shortly before her death, had mailed each of them a gift to wish them well for the new school year.

Inspired by her Uncle Mace Bugen, Lynn was crazy about celebrities and pop culture and never missed an opportunity to meet a performer she admired. Her last celebrity meeting was arranged by son Jonathan after a ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ performance–Lynn got to meet one of her favorite performers, Harvey Fierstein (pictured here).

Lynn touched so many lives with her loving heart and lives on in all who remember her.