- Date Of Birth: June 11, 1934
- Date Of Death: August 22, 2012
- State: Illinois
William R. Kaufmann, 78, of Jacksonville, died Wednesday, August 22, 2012, at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.
He was born June 11, 1934, in Jacksonville, the son of Robert John, Sr. and Margaret Mary Morris Kaufmann. He married Janet Cox in Jacksonville and she survives.
He is also survived by one daughter and three sons, Paula (Peter) Peak and Kevin (Pamma) Kaufmann, both of Jacksonville, Andrew (Brittney) Kaufmann of Winchester, and Chad (Penny) Kaufmann of Springfield; eleven grandchildren, Joshua, Jonny and Will Peak, and Alexa, Cassidy, Nick, Olivia, Bobby, Annika, Andrew and Adrienne Kaufmann; and one brother, Frank (Charlene) Kaufmann of Jacksonville. He was preceded in death by his parents and his step-mother, Dorothy Kaufmann; a daughter, Rita Lynn in infancy; and two brothers, Robert Kaufmann, Jr. (surviving wife Margaret of Jacksonville) and John Kaufmann (surviving wife Marianne of Jacksonville).
Mr. Kaufmann was a 1952 graduate of Routt High School and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He attended Illinois College and graduated from Washington University in St. Louis. Later, he received his Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Illinois. He retired after 27 years as a teacher at Illinois School for the Visually Impaired (ISVI). He was also a speech pathologist, serving both the young and the elderly.
Mr. Kaufmann was a member of Church of Our Saviour in Jacksonville and had been a member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Winchester.
Bill participated in and enjoyed all sports, and had won the Jacksonville City Tennis Championship. He especially loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s activities, and was a well-known fixture at area basketball games.
Bill’s father had been a standout athlete at the University of Iowa, and his son was a standout at the University of Illinois.
