Tommy Joe Kaufmann
Tommy Joe Kaufmann, 81, passed on Dec. 23, 2022, of natural causes.
Son of Cletus and Mamie Kaufmann of Lewiston, Idaho, he was fifth out of their 11 children. He was born into farming life along with his older siblings Dave, Cliff, Sis and Pat, and his younger siblings Ed, Chuck, Mike, Fred, Don and Mary. After serving as an army sergeant in Vietnam, Tommy (aka Tom) and his first wife Ruth were married in 1969 and settled in Othello, Washington where they farmed and raised four daughters: Jo, Melissa, Kristina and Jennifer. Tom's family tree eventually grew to include grandsons Logan and Kody, granddaughter Sydney, and great-grandson Parker (parents Kody and Haley). Later he gained four more step-grandchildren through his daughters' marriages: Shawn, Michael and Austin (Kristina and Rob Coombes) and Henry (Melissa and Dallas Johnson). Significant others also part of the family are Dan Murphy (Jo) and Ben Grendahl (Jenn).
As farming was becoming more difficult to make ends meet, Tom tried a few jobs before settling in at Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello, Washington as the maintenance director where he remained until he retired at age 71. Post-retirement his hobbies became more of a passion and he spent as much time as he could fishing with his family and friends, while always providing a helpful hand for anyone he came across in need. His generosity knew no bounds, and many people in the Othello community became "family" to him. He was part of the Catholic Church throughout his life – faith was important to him.
After Tom and Ruth divorced in 1990, he found love again and married his second wife, Leah Layne. They lived together on Juniper Street in Othello for years, but he was widowed in 1998 after helping Leah fight a long illness.
Tom was a loving and generous family man; even if you were not family, he would treat you like you were. If you visited his house, chances are you were taking home some freshly caught fish and other items that he knew you to be in need of or like. He loved to fish and valued his fishing partners, especially Bill and Melissa Barnett, who became his second family. He also enjoyed playing softball and golf throughout his active life.
Tom recounted a few things in 2020 when his girls attempted to capture some of his life story. His earliest memory was sitting on the couch bouncing and eating a small raw Walla Walla Sweet onion (his favorite); he said his mom used to put him to bed that way. His favorite childhood activities were Kick the Can, Gene Autry westerns, “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Lone Ranger” (once they got a black-and-white TV when he was about 7). And he liked spring the best when he could pick his mom wildflowers from the pasture.
A memorial service will be scheduled for this spring when Tom's family and friends can plan for safe travel to Spokane, Washington, where he lived out his final years. His and his wife Leah's ashes will then be laid to rest at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake, Washington. His family would like to thank all who have sent their condolences and special memories of Tommy.
