By The Rev. Barbara Mraz
Mary Johnson and Dr. Lynn Hartmann each spent over thirty years working at the world-renowned medical facility in Rochester. Lynn was an oncologist and Mary was a chaplain. They’ve been together for 24 years and married for five. They recently moved to St. Paul, started attending St. John’s last year, and can usually be seen at the 8am service.
At the upcoming OWLs luncheon on May 14, they will speak about their experiences and the insights they have gained during this time. Following are two brief bios:
Mary Johnson:
I was born and raised on the banks of the Missouri River in a small, college town in South Dakota. I became a Minnesotan when I moved to Rochester to complete my chaplaincy training in the late 1970s after finishing my theological education in Seattle.
Hospital chaplaincy at The Mayo Clinic was a wonderful privilege. Over the course of 30+ years at the bedside, I had the opportunity to work with individuals and families from all over the world whose lives were in transition because of life-limiting or life-threatening illness. They were my greatest teachers.
At this point in my life, my spiritual journey brings me to the Episcopal Church where I find warmth, hospitality, intelligent theological reflection, and meaningful spiritual practice.
Dr. Lynn Hartmann:
I was born and raised in the Chicago area but migrated to Minnesota in 1986 to start an Oncology fellowship at Mayo, after medical school (Northwestern) and Internal Medicine training (University of Iowa). While I have come to love Minnesota deeply, during my first years here I was still a Cubs fan and thus missed rooting for the 1987 and 1991 Champion MN Twins!
Some highlights of my years at Mayo: Meeting my life partner Mary Johnson; being the first woman to join the Oncology staff in 1988 and helping to mentor and recruit numerous trainees and young staff—women now make up 30% of the Oncology staff!
My areas of focus in Oncology were breast and gynecologic cancers, especially improving options for prediction of risk of developing these conditions, and options for risk reduction. I started the Women’s Cancer Program at Mayo, which today is the largest program in the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center.
What I enjoyed most about my career at Mayo was the team spirit among the staff and sharing in the lives of so many remarkable patients.
Originally published in the May-June 2019 Evangelist.
