Donald Kaufmann, age 81, died in Vero Beach, Florida, on February 26, 2012. He will be forever remembered as a gentle-hearted husband, father, grandfather, teacher and friend.
Don was born in Alma, Michigan, on November 12, 1930. He attended high school in Northfield, Minnesota, and graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio. He earned graduate degrees from Northwestern and Yale and served two years in the U.S. Army. Don met Lois Wanstall while the two were in graduate programs at Yale and in 1956 they were married.
Don’s teaching career began in Madison, Connecticut, where he taught high school mathematics for 15 years. In 1972, Don, Lois and their two children Ruth and Bob moved to Warren, Vermont. Don continued his teaching at Harwood Union High School for 24 years. He retired in 1996 and he and Lois moved to Florida in 2001. They became snowbirds, spending winters in Florida and summers back in Vermont to be near their children and grandchildren.
Don was a caring and methodical man. He enjoyed woodworking in his garage and puttering in his yard – trimming blueberry bushes and transplanting hemlocks. He was a meticulous builder of stone walls and spent hours finding just the right rocks. He was always willing to lend a hand and because he was a mathematician, his family always had a project for him to work on. Whether it was stacking firewood, building a greenhouse or helping his grandchildren with math, Don was cheerful and steadfast.
Don is survived by his wife of 55 years, Lois; his sister Ann Kaufmann of Minneapolis; his daughter Ruth of Colchester, Vermont, his son Robert and his wife Patti of Warren, and their children Nicholas and Rose.
A memorial service will be held later this spring at the Warren United Church, where Don was a longtime member.
