Willie H. Kauffman, age 78, died on Sunday, May 22, 2022.

He was born on September 2, 1943, in Duluth, Minnesota to parents Bill and Hannah (Ingbretson) Kauffman.

He began attending school in Springbrook, went to Spooner School, and then graduated among the top of his class in Superior, Wisconsin.

If anyone truly lived their life, it was Willie Kauffman. He was a jack of all trades. He was a pilot, did farming, had a plumber’s license, and lived and worked in Alaska and the Dominican Republic for some time. Willie was also on the Spooner School board for years. He and his sons worked years running heavy equipment together for his company, Kauffman and Son Excavating. He enjoyed visiting and telling jokes with his family and friends. He had a story or a joke for every occasion.

There are over 1 million words in the Oxford English Dictionary, there are 48 synonyms for the word love, and still, it is impossible to find the exact combination of words to express the loss we feel. He was more than love, he was more than joy, he was more than funny, he was more than kind, he was more than talented, more thank brilliant, more than exceptional, more than beautiful, more than amazing, and so much more than crazy. How do you sum up a man’s life in 200 words or less? It’s impossible for any life lived, but even more so if you were Willie Kauffman. “If the story was told, only heaven knows, his hat was a halo, even though his wings were never seen, we thought he walked on water.” It has been said that we die twice, once when the breath leaves our body, and once when the last person we know says our name.

Willie is survived by his wife, Bev, his 5 children: daughter Kimmy Kauffman and her 3 children Tori, Hannah, and Albert, daughter Content (Mike) Cass and her 4 children Ashley, Ariana, Miranda, and Levi, daughter Gretchen (Kevin) Murphy and their 2 sons William and Charles, daughter Hannah Kauffman and her 3 sons Deron, Brennan, and Parker, son Jesse Kauffman and his 2 daughters Emma and Lexi, son Scott (Jessica) Kauffman and their son Thomas, and also many great grandchildren and many, many friends.

Willie is preceded in death by his parents Bill and Hannah Kauffman.

A celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 28, 2022, at the Springbrook VFW starting at 1pm.

Last Update: May 24, 2022 2:50 pm CDT