John G. Kaufman

John G. Kaufman, 62, of Hartland passed peacefully on August 30 at AngelsGrace Hospice. He was born in Appleton, the first of four sons and a daughter, to Jack and Joyce (nee Mangan) Kaufman.

John graduated from Appleton East High School and attended M.S.O.E, where he earned an Electrical Engineering Technology degree and an M.S. in Engineering Management. He was a certified PMP through the Project Management Institute and enjoyed building navy nuclear shipboard controls at Eaton Corporation, supporting Tech Services at Rockwell, and providing project management for GE Industrial Systems, Siemens Corporation, Price Engineering, Eaton and Weir Minerals over the course of his career, making many friends.

John met his wife, Louise Hermsen, while skiing and they married in 1989. John loved being a father and was one of the first men to ask for paternity leave when his son Aaron was born in 1990. He was a stay-at-home dad from 1992 – 1996, long before dads stayed at home. He enjoyed volunteering in kindergarten, was a Cub Scout leader, taught both Sunday school and beginning ice skating to pre-school age children for ten years and delivered Meals on Wheels to seniors. He was a strong believer and was ever inspired by the annual No Regrets men’s conference.

John was a crazy dancer, a colorful dresser, a serious deer hunter, a 30-year Milwaukee Bucks season ticket holder, a marathoner, downhill skier and snowboarder, water skier, and always had a boat. He captained his beloved 33’ powerboat, Mother Ocean, from McKinley Marina to shoreline communities throughout Lake Michigan. He was a scuba diver and enjoyed many diving trips to the Caribbean as well as travel throughout the U.S. and adventurous trips to Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Thailand, Europe, Honduras, Bonaire and Canada. He was an inspiration to many after his brain cancer diagnosis in 2018, as he continued to live each day to the fullest, boating, fishing, scuba diving, downhill skiing, ATV’ing and traveling, despite his many physical challenges.

John was preceded in death by his father and brothers Jim and Tom. He is survived by his loving wife of 32 years, his much-loved son, and wife Stephanie (Rogaczewski), his mother Joyce Kaufman, his sister Carrie Kippenhan (Jeff), brother Roger, and many nephews and nieces. John was a strong family man always looking out for others and will be missed by all.

The family thanks the AngelsGrace Hospice staff and volunteers, the ProHealth Care and Columbia St. Mary’s oncology teams, including Dr. Krouwer and Dr. Raza and their staffs and Aaron Jonasen for their never-ending kindness, skill and support as John continued living a very full life with many adventures.

A celebration of life with refreshments following will be held on September 8 at 5:00 p.m. at Nagawicka Lake Yacht Club, as John most relished his time on, by and in the water. Bring a lawn chair and relax lakeside. Evert-Luko is serving the family. For more information, call 262-367-2156 or visit https://www.evertlukofuneralhome.com/.
The family has established a GoFundMe memorial at https://www.gofundme.com/john-g-kaufman-memorial-fund with donations to be directed to the Milwaukee School of Engineering, No Regrets Men’s Ministry, ProHealth Care Cancer Center and AngelsGrace Hospice.

John was an inspiration to many during his battle with brain cancer. Please pay it forward and do something kind for someone who needs help, encouragement, or a little bit of extra support. That will make him smile.