Kaufman, Thomas

Other Events:

• Military Service: Between 1967 and 1969; Vietnam - US Army
• Obituary: 11 Jul 2006; Appleton Post Crescent

Notes:

Military Service:
U.S. Army during the Vietnam War 1967-69 in t he Infantry, Artillery, and Special Forces. He received two bronze stars a nd the Army Medal of Commendation

Obituary:
Kaufman, Thomas L. "To m"Thomas L. Kaufman, age 58, of Appleton, passed away Saturday, July 8, 200 6, at Appleton Medical Center surrounded by his family. He was born in App leton on October 2, 1947, to Rayburn W. and Viola (Janke) Kaufman. Tom rec eived his Associates degree from UW-Fox Valley majoring in Computer Scien ce in 1990 and his B.S. degree in Sociology in 1997, which enabled h im to work in many capacities with the mentally disabled and the homeles s. He was currently employed at the Salvation Army Homeless Shelter, a j ob that he loved. Tom married Donna Bruso on May 4, 1990. Tom was a gradua te of Xavier High School.He served his country in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War 1967-69 in t he Infantry, Artillery, and Special Forces. He received two bronze stars a nd the Army Medal of Commendation. Upon returning from Vietnam he was invo lved with several military organizations. He served as Vietnam Veteran Sta te coordinator from 1982-88. He was instrumental in the development of t he Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. and helped to bring abo ut the "Agent Orange Lawsuit," and also in organizing the first posttrauma tic stress disorder treatment program in the nation.Tom enjoyed his many landscaping projects and cooking spaghetti sauce, ev en though it took days to clean up his mess. He also loved cruising in h is Lebaron. Tom extremely enjoyed spending time with his family and frien ds and made it a point to be there no matter what time of day or night f or anyone who may need his help.Thomas is survived by his wife of 16 years, Donna; his children: Ashley, R obert Bruso, and Becky (Rick) Beattie; brothers and sisters-in-law, Raybu rn W. (Carol) and Calvin (Arlene) Kaufman; sister and brother-in-law, Bet ty (Ed) Beyer; four grandchildren: Autumn, Brienna, Kailyn, and Abbey; mot her-in-law, Lillian Bruso; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Dorothy (Bo b) Spaulding; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and many special friend s, especially Gary Forrest.He was preceded in death by his parents, Rayburn W. and Viola Kaufman; sis ter, Joan; two infant grandchildren, Faith and Caleb; and father-in-law, M erlin Bruso.Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, July 13, 2006, at S t. Joseph Catholic Church, 404 W. Lawrence St., with Father Larry Abler of ficiating. Friends are welcome from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 12, 2 006, at the Valley Funeral Home and from 9 a.m. until 9:45 a.m. on Thursd ay at the church. Military Rites will follow the church service. Inurnme nt will be in St. Joseph Cemetery.The family wishes to extend their sincere appreciation to family, friend s, co-workers, and even strangers who offered their prayers and support ov er the past 5 months, the many staff members at Appleton Medical Center w ho in doing their jobs also gave of their hearts, and in particular, the s taff in ICU who excelled in outstanding and compassionate care and left ea ch of us with a piece of their hearts. A special thank you to Will, Rand y, Ken, and to the many doctors who struggled daily to fulfill Tom's dre am of returning home. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Robert Ballard who nev er let us lose hope and will forever be our "Knight in Shining Armour," a nd to Mike in telemetry for his uplifting conversations. Thank you al so to Bonnie Nelson at Fran Care and the others who made it possible for D onna to be with Tom during each crisis. The kindness extended by each of y ou will be forever in our memories.
In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a memorial fund is being establi shed.
"Realize how much
you have in life. Tell people
you love them & that they
mean the world to you.
Last night my dad died.
We've lost the battle.
He was just too weak.
Never again will I be able
to have a conversation about
absolutely nothing & enjoy
every minute with him.
Never again will I be able to
discuss history with him.
Never again will I be able to
watch a movie with him
& he was the one that liked all
the movies I did. Never again
will I be able to sneak
downstairs & scream "boo!"
like I did since I was little just
to see him jump.
He will never see me graduate.
He won't be there to walk me
down the aisle when I get
married. & it was just last
week that he said he wanted to
live for those last two things.
The only person that I truly
felt that I could talk to will be gone. Good bye Dad...
I'll always love you, Ashley"
Valley Funeral Home
2211 N. Richmond Street
920-733-5435

Thomas married Blohm, Unknown [Group Sheet]

Thomas married Bruso, Donna (daughter of Bruso, Merlin and Adams, Lillian Gertrude) [Group Sheet]

Becky married Beattie, Rick [Group Sheet]