Rick Wayne Kaufman

Rick Wayne Kaufman, 71, Bismarck, died on July 22, 2020 of congestive heart failure at Sanford Health, Bismarck. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, July 28, at Church of Corpus Christi, 1919 N 2^nd St, Bismarck. The service livestream will be available on Church of Corpus Christi’s Facebook page.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, July 27, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Pkwy, Bismarck. A prayer service will begin at 7 p.m.

Burial will be held at 12 p.m. at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Following the burial, we welcome all to join LaVerne and family for a light lunch and refreshments at 1603 Main Events, Bismarck.

 He was born in Dickinson on Sept. 1, 1948 to Peter & Hilda (Kampf) Kaufman and was raised on the family farm Southeast of Gladstone. Rick learned the value of hard work growing up on the farm and throughout his life he always enjoyed going back to help butcher, work cattle, ride horse, and go hunting with his boys. Rick graduated from Gladstone High School in 1966 and Wahpeton State School of Science in 1968. Rick married his high school sweetheart, LaVerne Brost, on Nov. 16, 1968. Rick and LaVerne had four children: Leann, Cory, Ryan and Steven – all who live in Bismarck. Rick was drafted into the United States Army in July 1969 and arrived in Vietnam that November. Rick served his country with honor in the 4^th Infantry Division as a rifleman. He sold livestock feed and supplements for TCI and Furst-McNess for 35 years. One of Rick’s favorite hobbies was playing pinochle with family and friends. Rick had a special interest in going to auction sales and collecting old cast iron tools. He would bring home buckets of old, rusted wrenches and then use his grinder to bring them back to life. During the summer, one of Rick’s treasured pastimes was having a rummage sale, selling tools and visiting with people who stopped by. In the evenings, Rick enjoyed watching a fire on his backyard patio. In his later years, Rick loved to put jigsaw puzzles together, watch Gunsmoke, read novels by Louis L ’Amour, and have coffee with a group of loyal friends. Rick had a love for good, country music. His favorites were Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley and Ray Price. Spending time with his 11 grandkids always brought a smile to his face.

Rick was a member of the Knights of Columbus and the Bismarck Elks. He served as an usher and eucharistic minister for Corpus Christi Church for many years and was always willing to volunteer when help was needed. His faith was important to him and he never missed mass. Much of his volunteer hours were spent helping with Knights of Columbus breakfasts, mowing lawn at the Veterans cemetery, and helping with fossil preservation at the Heritage Center. In his later years, Rick dealt with many health issues, and fought valiantly to the end.

Rick was survived by his wife of 51 years, LaVerne; his children, Leann (Steve) Davis, Cory (Mary) Kaufman, Ryan (Lisa) Kaufman and Steven (Michelle) Kaufman; grandchildren, Calli (Lane) Bauman, Allie Davis (Michael Dukart), Keenan Kaufman, Drew Davis, Kati Kaufman, Carter Kaufman, Bracston Kaufman, Brynlee Kaufman, Clyde Kaufman, Brody Kaufman and Ruby Kaufman; brothers, Jerry (Chris) Kaufman, Arroyo Grande, Calif., Wayne (Sandy) Kaufman, Gladstone, and Greg (Adele) Kaufman, Truman, Minn.

Rick was preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Hilda (Kampf) Kaufman.