Don August "Grumpy; Fat Daddy; fix-it-man" Kaufman of Gayville, SD, has passed away, leaving behind a family and community who loved him dearly.
Some stories deserve to be told slowly. This is one of them.
What is given freely returns in ways we cannot measure.
Don Kaufman passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, April 23rd, 2026 – high noon, the sun shining full and bright. He was surrounded by his family in prayer, under the care of hospice. He was a man who would give the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it – the one you could call at any hour to come fix the furnace, the fence, or just about anything else. He farmed and cared for the beautiful prairie lands of Gayville, SD his whole life, and was loved deeply by the whole community.
Don was a man of many names: husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, cousin, son, brother, Grumpy, Fat Daddy, fix-it-man, farmer and friend. No matter the name you called him, he had a way of making you feel important, listened too, supported and loved.
Don had a deep love for the Missouri River and fishing. The river was his sanctuary – a place of joy, patience, quiet, and connection. Many caught there first fish with Don right beside them, rod in hand – including his great-grandson Cooper, who Don got to watch grow to 16 years old. He wasn't just teaching people to fish. He was teaching them how to slow down, pay attention, and to trust that what you need will eventually come.
Don is preceded in death by his beloved parents, John and Catherine Kaufman, his two brothers, Robert and John Kaufman, cousin Leroy Kaufman, nephew Kerry Kaufman, and his son-in-law Thomas Huber.
He leaves behind his wife of 70 years, Shirley Kaufman – a love story that spanned a lifetime. His two daughters, Roxanne Huber and Tracey Kelly. His grandchildren, Kate Blassl and Michael Blassl. His great-grandson, Cooper Blassl. His niece Alana Tamisiea and family, Cousin Larry Kaufman and family. And his cherished son-in-law Duane Blassl, his grandson-in-law Ben Sondeen and Ben's mother Tracy Sondeen, who loved him deeply and were present and devoted in his final days.
Don's fix-it spirit lives on in the hands of everyone he taught, helped, and stood beside. There is not a person who knew him who won't pause the next time something needs mending to think of him. And there will be no fishing line cast that doesn't feel his spirit beside them.
He will be grieved with a love as wide as the prairie he farmed and as deep as the river he cherished. For all that knew Don with his full life and big heart, know that he hasn't simply left us. His love flows through the strong currant of the Missouri River, in every fishing cast, and every caught or missed fish to come. He's in the seasons as they come and go, the fields planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. He's in every fixed thing, every answered call, and every remembered moment in which someone felt less alone because he showed up.
Rest Easy Grandpa Don, in that warm high noon sun that called you home.
Services will be held July 3rd, 2026 in Gayville, SD. More information to come.
The Natural Funeral is honored to serve the family of Don August Kaufman.
