Lynn Jay Kaufman
Lynn Jay Kaufman
Lynn Jay Kaufman
February 14, 1962 – August 9, 2023
Grinnell (Oskaloosa), Iowa | Age 61
Lynn Jay Kaufman, age 61, of Grinnell, and formerly of Oskaloosa, passed away on Wednesday, August 9, 2023, at the Methodist Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa after a short battle with cancer. He was born on February 14, 1962, in Freeman, South Dakota, the son of Lawrence and Lorene (Miller-Graber) Kaufman.
Lynn accepted Jesus Christ at a young age. He attended Freeman Academy and graduated with the Class of 1980.
On October 30, 1982, he was united in marriage to Betty Boese-Hora in rural Freeman, South Dakota.
Lynn worked the family farm in Hurley, South Dakota from 1980 until 1995 when he began driving grain semi. In 2000, the family sold the farm and moved to Iowa. Lynn was the director of Maintenance at Vennard College for a couple of years, then transitioned to working with Eldon Zook doing concrete construction for 10 years. Following that, he became a semi tow truck operator at Bill and Ray’s in Oskaloosa. Lynn and Betty moved to Grinnell in the spring of 2022, at which time Lynn began working with his son, James at Kaufman Construction and Painting, a job that he thoroughly enjoyed.
Lynn was an active member of the Grinnell Friends Church. He enjoyed kayaking and tinkering on the tractor or whatever else he could find in the shop. Lynn also enjoyed his Jeep Wrangler and taking road trips. His real joy in life was spending time with his friends and family, especially his children, his grandchildren and his dog, Buddy.
He is survived by his wife, Betty Kaufman of Grinnell; his children: Jeremiah (& Shannon) Hora of University Park, IA, Rachel (& Anthony) Nieuwsma of Grinnell, James (& Chelse) Kaufman of Grinnell and Jessica (& Derrick) Stocker of Grinnell; his grandchildren: Gabriel Hora, Thaddaeus Hora, Benjamin Hora, Natalie Nieuwsma, Lucy Nieuwsma, Oliver Nieuwsma, Milo Nieuwsma and Gracie Kaufman; his mother, Lorene Kaufman of Sterling, IL; a brother, LeRoy Kaufman of Hurley, SD; and a sister, Lois (& Keith) Landis of Sterling, IL; and many nieces and nephews.
Lynn was preceded in death by his father, Lawrence Kaufman; a brother, Lee Randall “Randy” Kaufman; a sister-in-law, Georgia Kaufman; a niece, Laura Landis; and his dog, Buddy.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 10:30am at Grinnell Friends Church, with Pastor Jacob Landis officiating.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 18, beginning at 11am at the Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa, with family present from 5-7pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Sam & Becky Barber, missionaries in Belize or Grinnell Friends Church.
To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Lynn Jay Kaufman please visit the Bates Funeral Chapel Sympathy Store.
