David Doc Kauffman
David “Doc” Kauffman, 92, passed away on Monday April 14 at Whitefish Care and Rehab.
Doc was born in January 1922 in Creston to the late Anna and N.L. “Roy” Kauffman. He was the middle child of 15 children.
He lived in Creston and attended a one-room school house through eighth grade. He worked on the family farm, in the family sawmill and as a packer for the U.S. Forest Service until World War II.
During the war he served his country as a “conscientious objector” in the Civilian Public Service program taking care of the National Parks, working as a smoke jumper fighting fires in Idaho, and on a cattle boat taking livestock to Poland.
Upon his return he ended up in Virginia where he obtained his GED and attended Eastern Mennonite College (Eastern Mennonite University) in studies for pre-med. He met his future wife, Ruth, at school and they married in Akron, Penn. The newlyweds lived in Philadelphia where Doc completed his medical training at Hahnemann University Hospital in family practice.
After a short two-year surgical residency in Spokane,Wash., Doc and Ruth moved to Whitefish where he practiced family medicine for over 40 years. Doc was an original country doctor who made many house-calls for patients.
A man of many talents, Doc also served for over 20 years as a lay minister for the Whitefish Christian Church. He performed marriages and funerals all over the Flathead Valley. He never kept count but was busy most weekends. Some of his most memorable ceremonies were performed at various locations in Glacier National Park and on horseback.
Among Doc’s passions were horses and hunting. For anyone who knew Doc they surely heard of the hunting trips with his pack string into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. This yearly sojourn spawned many tall and interesting stories about hunting and those who accompanied him. His hunting trophies were proudly displayed in his home. Doc was also an active member of the Back Country Horseman.
Music was something Doc enjoyed from a very young age with his family and in church. He sang with local barbershop chorus and in the Flathead Community Choir for many years.
His zest for life, welcoming smile, love of family, and his ever present cowboy hat will be missed by all those who had the privilege of meeting him. He lived life to its fullest and considered anyone he met a friend.
Doc was preceded in death by his parents, Anna and N.L. “Roy” Kauffman, and 11 of his siblings.
He is survived by his wife, Ruth E. Kauffman of Whitefish; two sisters, Gladys Reimer of Whitewater, Kan., and Rosella Eby of Drake, Saskatchewan; one brother, Joe and Ruth Kauffman of Lebanon, Ore.; two sons, David Jr. and Anita, of Whitefish, and Stephen of Yakima, Wash.; two daughters, Elizabeth (Betsy) Kauffman-Harmon and Stephen of Wasilla, Alaska, and Rebecca (Becky) Kauffman-Piotrowski and David of Durango, Colo; and by six grandchildren, Britta and Brice Kauffman of Yakima, Wash.; and Justin, Travis, Darren and Ashley Kauffman of Whitefish.
A celebration of Doc’s life will take place on Friday April 25 at 2 p.m. at Whitefish Lutheran Church, 5150 River Lakes Pkwy in Whitefish. An informal reception will follow services.
In lieu of flowers the family encourages you to make a donation in Doc’s name to one of the following organizations:
Mennonite Central Committee
21 S. 12thStreet
P.O. Box 500
Akron, PA 17501-0500
Angel Tree Foundation/Prison Fellowship
P.O. Box 1550
Merrifield, VA 22116-1550
1-800-206-9764
North Valley Food Bank
251 Flathead Ave.
Whitefish MT 59937
Ph: 406-862-5863
Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
P.O. Box 96011
Washington, DC 20090-6011
1.800.272.3900
You are invited to go to www.austinfh.com to offer condolence, share memories and view Doc’s tribute wall.
Arrangements are entrusted to Austin Funeral Home.