'Doc' Kauffman treasured as a kind, colorful character
Colorful, opinionated and outspoken — longtime Whitefish physician David Kauffman was known simply as “Doc” around town.
“In a small town like this, everyone knew Doc,” said friend Dale Duff.
In fact, for many Whitefish natives, there’s a good chance Kauffman was the doctor at their birth, the minister at their marriage or a companion on a horse packing trip.
“Doc birthed, married and buried about two-thirds of my family,” said Margy Juenke. “He was more than a doctor, he was a pioneer in many areas and cared about everyone he met.”
Kauffman passed away last week at Whitefish Care and Rehab. He was 92 years old.
Born and raised in Creston, Kauffman and his wife Ruth moved to and settled down in Whitefish in 1959. It was a friendly town, they said, that was easy to call home.
Kauffman’s medical career began that same year at the Whitefish Clinic on Park Avenue where he worked as a general-practice physician and surgeon. He later moved to an office on Central Avenue.
He worked independently his entire career that spanned more than 30 years. He was known as a “country doctor” who made house-calls and performed home deliveries — often not charging a dime for his services.
“I can remember for years when my grandfather was sick, Doc would come and make calls at 2 a.m. and 5 a.m.,” Juenke said.
Kauffman also treated many family pets, even a pet raccoon once.
His medical career was sometimes contentious, and in 1986 his license was revoked following a malpractice lawsuit.
Yet, there was much more to Kauffman than his work as a physician. He also was a farmer, a logger, a singer, a minister, a school board trustee and a smoke jumper.
During World War II, Kauffman and his younger brother, Norman, abstained from military service. Their Mennonite faith instructed them to serve their country peacefully, not in battle.
“He was straight forward in his belief,” Duff said. “He wasn’t opposed to public service, but opposed to violence.”
Kauffman was among 12,000 conscientious objectors during World War II who served in the Civilian Public Service. They became part of an elite crew when they signed on to be smoke jumpers during the 1945 fire season.
In an interview with the Daily Inter Lake, Kauffman recalled a close call he had as a smoke jumper at the Burnt Creek fire in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. He had picked a spot on a ridge for a landing, but cross winds caught him unexpectedly.
“It took me a mile down, and I got hung up in a tree,” he said. “But we were trained to come down out of trees.”
As a man of faith, Kauffman served more than 20 years as a lay minister for the Whitefish Christian Church.
“Doc was interested in ministering to people who were a little out of the mainstream,” said Pastor John Bent at Christ Lutheran Church. “He was very compassionate and had a heart for helping and dealing with those folks.”
Kauffman would often show up at ministry meetings fresh off of working his hay fields.
“He liked to be out in the hay field, driving his old Ford truck and working with his animals,” Bent said. “He was a working-man pastor and liked to be seen as a man of the field.”
Kauffman performed many marriages and funerals.
Tim Rice often worked as a photographer at Kauffman’s marriage ceremonies.
“A lot of people would want to go to Glacier Park and get married at Lake McDonald or on Logan Pass,” Rice said. “He was always nice and warm with the couples. He cared about them.”
Still, Kauffman had a reputation for being opinionated and boisterous at times.
“He was one of the most colorful people you ever want to meet,” said Duff. “He was outspoken and knew what he believed in.”
Juenke said Kauffman’s attitude toward life came from how he was raised.
“He was raised to be strong and independent,” she said. “How he was raised is how he treated people — fair and with no judgment.”
Kauffman is remembered by many as an active member of the Back Country Horsemen.
“He was a good horseman and a great packer,” said Duff. “I remember one time packing up by Meadow Creek, a young man commented to Doc about the way he was packing the animals. Doc said, ‘Look young man, I’ve been packing since you were in knee-highs. Don’t tell me how to pack a horse.’”
“That’s Doc Kauffman,” Duff said with a chuckle.
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.