Donald F. Kauffman, 63, of Palm Harbor, FL died on August 12, 2008 at his residence from a service connected disability and under the care of Hospice of the Suncoast. A Washington, DC native and a local resident since 2006, when he moved here from Deale, MD; he was a automobile salesman; a Methodist; a member of the Moose Lodge, Elks, American Legion and the DAV. Don was a US Army Vietnam War Veterans and during his military service; he was awarded the a good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Vietnam National Service Medal; Vietnam National Commendation Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Bars. He is survived by his wife, Patricia of Palm Harbor, FL; a son, William Wampler and his wife, Kiley of Baltimore, MD; two daughters, Stacy Alcorn of Crystal Beach, FL and Darby Wampler of Belleview, CO; three brothers, Ritchie Kauffman and his wife, Fran of Alexandra, VA; Butch and Jimmie Kauffman, both of Myrtle Beach, FL and four grandchildren. Graveside services with full military honors are 2:00 PM, Wednesday, October 1, 2008 at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.Sgt. Kauffman was a member of the Third Rifle Platoon for a year. He served for 5 months as a 106 Recoiless Rifle Crewmember and then he was called to be a Team Leader with the rifle squad. Although his primary Military Occupational Speciality was a Scout, he quickly adapted to the duties of his new position and preformed it in a exemplary manner. Sgt. Kauffman has provided his ability and knowledge of his job under fire by maintaining a very low casuality rate and high morale among his men. Sgt. Kauffman value to his platoon was exemplified during losses to the rife squad put that him in the squad leaders slot. At this time, Sgt. Kauffman was still a Specialist E4. While preforming in this position, he preformed in a outstanding manner. During a constant turnover of personnel, Sgt. Kauffman aided in trainng them into a smooth working unit with very high moral and spirit. While serving in continuous combat operations like “Crazy Horse”, “Paul Revere III and IV”; “Irving”; “Thayer I” and “Pershing”, Sgt. Kauffman received a Combat Infantryman’s BAdge and the Air Medal. For his exemplary service, he was recommended for the US Army Commendation Medal.
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Patty, words cannot express our feelings at this time at the loss of a dear friend. We’ll always remember the good times with you and Donnie. We will truly miss him. Our thoughts are with you and your family at this time. Sending you our love,
Tom and Helen
Patty, My heart goes out to you and your family. May God comfort you at this time. I will pray for you daily. I will always remember “Toad” smiling and having such a good time at the dances. I will miss him here but hope I will see him in heaven with Buddy one day. Love, Judy
So long buddy.
Patty,
I a, truly sorry for your loss, There is nothing that I can say that will comfort you. As Chic said all I want to so is cry.
Don was a trooper and a damn good one and a damn good man. HooAH!
Garry Owen
Patty, May your memories comfort you and keep you laughing. Don had a heart of gold and I will miss him.
Patty,
May time pass quickly, relacing these lonely hours with sweet remembrances of happy time you shared with Donald “THE TOAD”
Love, Denny and Pattie Martin
MY GOD BLESS DONNIE AND KEEP HIM SAFE. I’D LIKE TO BELEIVE DON, IS WITH MIKEE, JANET SHERMAN, AND MANY OTHER S.E.D.C. FRIENDS.
DONNIE WAS A PRINCE TO GAITHER UP SOO MANY S.E.D.C PEOPLE AND BRING US TOGETHER AGAIN. DONNIE’ BIRTHDAY REUNIONS WERE A GREAT GATHERING TOO. IT ALLOWED ME TO SEE MANY OLD FRIENDS AND MAKE A
LARGE GROUP OF NEW FRIENDS.
I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL TO PATTY AND DONNIE FOR THEIR GENEROUSITY
AND WARMTH.
WE LOVE YOU PATTY
We have so many great memories, the one we most cherish is our visit. Though we can no longer hold you in our arms we will forever hold you in our hearts. With much love. Moe and Marie
My deepest condolences to his wife Patty and family from my wife Linda and I. Thankyou for your wonderful hospitality for the Ballou reunion picnics and the great memories made. Will never forget Don.
Didn’t know Don personally but know what a wonderful person he was and how much he meant to so many people. MikeE talked about Don all of the time and how much Don meant to him. They are now reunited in heaven. I am sure they have already started to party.
My condolences to his family. May God Bless you and keep you in His loving care.
Patty
We are so very sorry for your loss. We were hoping he could beat this. We will always cherish our wonderful memories of both of you and all your parties.
Even when he was sick himself he was always concerned about Bill and how he was doing. We love you both.
DONNY, TOU WERE A LEGEND IN YOUR OWN TIME AS WERE YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTIES ON THE CREEK. I’M SURE THE LORD HAS A PLACE FOR “TOAD” IN HIS PAIN FREE, PEACEFUL ETERNAL RESTING PLACE.TAKE CARE MY MAN and SAY HELLO TO FEAT FOR ME. XOXOXO, MIKEE
we’ll miss you.
Patty and Family
May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared comfort you now and in the days ahead.
Patty and Family
May the peace which comes from the memories of love shared comfort you now and in the days ahead.
Patty and Family
The dance club will miss a very long friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
With deepest sympathy.
DC Hand Dance Club.
It was a great ride.
Patty, may you find comfort in the loving memories you have of Donnie
You will be missed!
Pat
My sympathy to Patty and the family.
My deepest sympathy to you Patty for your loss. I’m sure the past 2 years have been very tough. You and your family are in my prayers.
God’s blessings to you,
Julene Hussey
Patty,
My prayers and condolences are with you and your family.
Don’s energetic and caring spirit will be missed here but welcomed in heaven.
Merciful God, meet Don with grace and let him dance in your glory!
To Patty and family members, my deepest sympathy goes out to you. Donnie or “Toad” to many of his friends was one of a kind. I will always remember the good times I had at your parties in Maryland. God bless you. My prayers will be with you. Love,Alice
Patty and Family: So sorry for your loss
We want to convey our heartfelt condolences to Patty and Donnie’s family. Donnie was such an outgoing, warm and caring person, and part of our “growing up” years have gone with him.
I’m so sorry for your family’s loss of their loved one.
Patty, so sorry for your loss we all have many memories of Don with his crazy fun loving times. May God Bless you!
You will be truly missed, and our thoughts are with you!
Patty: My deepest sympathy in the lost of Donnie. He will be missed. Maybe he and Tommy will get together and go fishing up there. I am thinking of you.
Marion Wong-Halwick
Patty, I know it has been rough and I am deeply sorry for your lose. I will keep you and your family in my prayers. Have peace knowing that God is going to take care of Donnie now.
Patti,
Thru your tears of grief may you be wrapped in the warmth and love from all friends in the DC area who appreciate your welcoming us into your home for school reunions and Don’s birthday parties. Thank you for sharing him with us all. We lovingly hug you now.
Patty, I am so sorry for your loss. Donny was a great guy with a heart of gold. He was my friend and will be missed by all of us.
Jimmy Godfrey
Patty, You and your family are in our prayers. Donnie had a way of making everyone feel welcome. He always shared everything he had. He will be missed. We all had many great years together. A lot of good times and a lot of laughs. We will not forget all of the wonderful picinic’s that you both had. That is where Barney and I met. We owe that to you both.
Patty,
We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
So sorry so sad to see him leave us. Condolences to Patti, extended family including his many friends who will miss him.
Patty and family: Deepest sympathy. Donnie will be in our hearts forever. For us that go way back to the 60’s with Toad, we sure have alot of great memories. May God bless Toad, and God bless you Patty for being his wonderful loving wife.
Don grew up in southeast DC and I remember him well when we played baseball on the Walter Johnson League. He played second base for Congress Heights which was a powerhouse team in the 1950’s beating everybody. I had the displeasure of being thrown-out by Don on many occassions when I played right field for Bald Eagle. Don had a good heart below his roughness. There was always a good time to be had around Don. I’ll miss seeing him at the picnic reunion every summer. My little buddy Don was needed by God to liven things up. God Bless Don.
Though I did not know Don personally, I can fully appreciate the outpouring of love and wonderful memories on Ballou’s Alley engendered by his friendship, generosity, and sense of humor toward all he and Patty welcomed at their home. He will be greatly missed – my prayers and best wishes to Patty.
Patty:
Never had the pleasure of meeting you. I’ve known Donnie for more than 25 years and shared in many adventures.
Good bye Donnie!
Although I have not seen Donnie since the 60’s, I always remembered him as a kind, nice gentleman. Donnie always had a knack for making people laugh and he was always a pleasure to have around. May he rest in peace.
Patty you have our deepest sympathy Donnie was a good friend and he will be missed by maney. With all our love Joe and Brenda Neal
Patty,
I am very sorry for your loss and you have my greatest sympathy. Don was a great guy for pulling the Ballou reunions together. I’m sure many people will remember him fondly and drink a toast to him at many future reunions.
See ya bud. My prayers are with you and Patty and family.
Patty, So sorry for you and your family’s loss. So many fond memories of days spent with Toad.
We will surely miss him.
Love, Chris and Herbie
Patty and family, my heart is heavy
for the loss of a good friend of
whom I have the warmest of memories
You are all in my prayers.
Fondly,
Mary
Iâ??m so glad I was able to spend one evening, not that long ago, with Toad. Iâ??ve many fond memories of him and of his wonderful humor. Iâ??ll never for get those great get-togethers you and he had here in Deale crab feasts. I wish you all the best. RonNicholson@comcast.net
Patty, Our deepest sympathy to you
and family. He will be missed so
very much by everyone who knew him.
I’m sure he’s getting ready to lead
a cheering section for his Redskins
right now. May God’s grace comfort
you at this time. Carole and Ken Oursler
God bless you Toad. We are gonna miss you.
Donnie was a vibrant personality who loved people and loved all of his friends. When we were in our 20s, along with his brother Jimmy, hung together in the late 60s. Donny helped me get through a very difficult time. Soon,though, we went our separate ways. When I saw him later in life, I always thanked him for being a positive force and being a good friend when I was down in my personal life. I will miss him very much. God bless him and his family.
Sending our deepest sympathy to you and the family for the loss of your beloved husband. Thinking of you fondly, Don and Helene Walters
Patty,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you.We will miss Toad.
Dear Patty,
My thoughts and prayers are with you during this sad time. Toad will be missed by all who knew him. Terry
Patty and family,
Sympanthy and prayers during this difficult time.
Jane, Ballou 62
Patty, I’m sure Donny and Feat are cruising around in their boats from marina bar to marina bar in Heavan trying to one up each other laughing all the way. He had a great ride but the best part of it was the years he spent with you as he told me many times. Donny endured unbelievable pain and suffering these last couple of years mainly because he did not want to leave you. I wish I could relieve your grief but know that you and Donny are in the prayers of us all who love you. God bless you, Love, Mikee
Patty,
We’re very sorry for you loss. I’ll always remember going on Uncle Donald’s boat and going to the Redskin games. He was so fun to be around and we’ll miss him dearly.
Donny… a long time friend. Thanks for all the memories we shared as kids growing up in the Heights.
We met at Boys club camp in ’54, you were a fierce competitor with a lot of heart. Later we reconnected in ’59 up on the Avenue, Congress Hts playground and Willie Jung’s house on Raleigh st. where Nick, Charlie, Johnny, you and I would sing doo-wops… among other things.
It was you who introduced me to my wife Jackie at a St. Thomas Moore teen dance in 1960.
Our prayers for strength and support are with Patty.
Fair well Buddy.
To Our Friend, Patty: Ned and I extend our heartfelt sympathy to you and your family for your loss. Donnie has joined many of our dear friends in a peaceful place, but we will always have memories of our good times together at your home, dancing and fun at SOS and our Sundays on the boat. Let your love for Don and memories of your life together help lighten your burden.
Gosh – I hope there’s lots of Miller Lite up there …
We had great times at the Redskins’ games. The tailgate parties were the best!! We’ll miss him very much. Love and prayers to Patty and his family.
We are deeply and sincerely sorry for your loss. You will continue the rest of your life with all the memories and anecdotes about “TOAD” that will keep him with you always.
Condolences to the Kauffman Family.
Levet Brown Jr
Willie Mae Brown
Dear Patty,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Petey and Donnie
Patty,
We are so sorry for your loss. The few times we had to work and socialize with Donnie were always a pleasure.
We will surely miss him.
Jan and John Samuels
Patty and family,
May you find comfort in your many memories of Donnie and all he meant to you. He will be missed by all. I know he and “Feet” are smiling down upon all of us especially, George.
Patty, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I have know “Toad” for a very long time and Pete has know him for several years and we are going to miss him. Heaven is cheering to welcome Donnie home and join all our dancing friends.
Love,
Joyce and Pete
Patty, what loving and loyal friends you and Toad have always been. You are both so special to all of us. Know today, tomorrow, and forever that you are, and always will be, the sunshine of Donnie’s life! My deepest prayers and love are with you, Janie Culos
God Bless.
Dear Patty,
My thoughts are with you every day. I will always remember our times together. May the Love of God comfort you and the family at this time.
Eyes….weeping
Hearts…breaking…ache
emptiness, until filled with memories of your beautiful soul
I will miss you Toad
Sister Shelley
Although we will miss him dearly, he is in a better place where he is not suffering. He is watching all his dance club friends and keeping an eye on all his friends and family especially you Patty.
Mac and Lily
i know they have a miller lite waiting!thanks for having fun with the band2nd comingfrom charlie and joe-bless .
Our prayers are with all of Toads family and friends.
We now have another angel to watch over us.
God bless, Sandralee and Jimmy brown
My thoughts are with you and memories cherished.
May God bless you and may you find comfort in knowing when someone you love becomes a memory, their memory becomes your treasure.
Love, Shari Grimes Semelsberger
Patty, We are so sorry for your loss.We will never forget our friend Toad and all the years of him DJing at all our favorite joints and the birthday parties in Deale. Damn,our boy could throw a party.We will miss him.Love,Bill and Karen Mangum
its hard to put into words how much we will remember the good times and bad. though separated by age and distance, we shared a bond that only brothers can feel. i regret that i didn’t get to see you in the last months, but will always rember the strentgh you showed by driving to myrtle beach last feb. nor will i ever forget the great time we had in fla last year. though it was a roller coaster ride the last couple of years for both you and patti, i still feel we lost you way too soon.
Thoughts are with the family…we know Donnie will be missed….
Donie,
Thanks for everything.
tommy
dear patty—I am very sorry to hear of the loss of such a good time,funny, long time friend as our TOAD!!! Will miss the dancing, the funny jokes ,especially when we gave him the “mike” at the dance club dance events. For sure we would be entertained! thinking of you…Love bonnie
Patty
We are heartbroken over the loss of
Donnie He will always stay in our
prayers as you wii
Patty and Family
We hope our caring will make your sorrow easier to bear. Donnie “Toad” was a good friend and we shared many great memories of growing-up in SE DC. The “Toad” will be missed by many.
Patty,
The world is a sadder place today without “the toad” and his joy in life. May you find strength in happy memories of him.
Dear Patty,
I’m so sorry for your loss. Even though I’ve only know you and Donnie for a short time, I really enjoyed our time together when I visited Sharon in Fl. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.
John Klein
Patty
We all loved Donnie and will miss him.He left a lot of fond memories that will be with us always.He was a part of our extended family.Our thoughts are with you at this time.
I will always remember you as the person there to brighten a persons day with your love of life and as a friend to all. You will always be in my prayers.
We like to remember the fun times, lots of laughs, good friends and great parties. We’ll miss you
It was pleasurer knowing you!!!!
Chris Bane
Patty,
So sorry for your loss, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. God Bless.
Patti, I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting you but Fran and I would like to express our sincere sorrow for your loss. Fran grew up at the playground and knew Donnie and I came along later. I considered him a good friend and he will be missed.
Patti and family, I have so many memories of Donnie and his brothers from the late 50’s to present. He was the “little” brother who looked up to us older teenagers. Have know the Kauffman family for over 50 years and had a special place in my heart for him and his brothers. Have a few great stories of him from a hospital visit sneaked a six pack to his room and helped him escape to many of your parties and Redskin games. Can still picture him on a cold rainy day with a big Skins blanket around him with only his head sticking out. You have been so strong during these difficult times and a wonderful hostess at your parties. My thoughts and prayers are with you, your family and the Kauffman brothers. Love, LizNixon Parness
Patty,
Words can not express the heart felt sadness that we feel for your loss of one of our favorite people and family member. Donald will always be my special brother-in-law. We have such great memories of all the fun times and will never forget him. He fought a good fight and I am sure he is organizing all the special events in heaven right now. Love Luckie and Gabe
Toad, can’t believe your not here..you will be missed! May God Bless your family.
-The Del Borrello’s friend’s of Mike and Cheryl Kauffman
Patty: Sandy and I both offer our prayers to you and your family. Fun, silly laughs we will share for a long time in remembrance of “The Toad”. God Bless Mike and Sandy Martin
Pat–
I am so sorry for your loss. I know that Toad and Charlie are up there having a beer together. You are in my prayers.
Love, Mary Ann
Now the time has come to say goodbye to my brother Donnie. We were always grateful that God brought him home safe from VietNam as a hero but he was always my hero war or no war. I will always remember the crazy and great times we spent together, with laughter and tears. It give us great comfort to know that he is in a better place that will allow us to go on with our lives knowing that he is not suffering anymore. I miss you and love you, God Bless. Brother, Butch
Patti, we are sorry for your loss and our prayers our with you. We always loved being with Uncle Donald and he will be truly missed. I always think of him at every redskin game and all the good times that We shared with both of you. He always looked out for me.
Love Mike, Cheryl, Zack and Jake Kauffman
Patti, we are sorry for your loss and our prayers our with you. We always loved being with Uncle Donald and he will be truly missed. I always think of him at every redskin game and all the good times that We shared with both of you. He always looked out for me.
Love Mike, Cheryl, Zack and Jake Kauffman
Patti, we are sorry for your loss and our prayers our with you. We always loved being with Uncle Donald and he will be truly missed. I always think of him at every redskin game and all the good times that We shared with both of you. He always looked out for me.
Love Mike, Cheryl, Zack and Jake Kauffman
Patti, we are sorry for your loss and our prayers our with you. We always loved being with Uncle Donald and he will be truly missed. I always think of him at every redskin game and all the good times that We shared with both of you. He always looked out for me.
Love Mike, Cheryl, Zack and Jake Kauffman
Pattie,I know how much you and Donnie wanted to move to Florida. I’m glad you you guys finaly made that dream come true and you were able to at least share some time together there. God is going to have a tough time trying to create another “TOAD” ….May he RIP
Just another Ballou Knight with wonderful memories of Don –
Please accept my condolences. He will be missed.
The world will never be the same without this guy and that’s the world’s loss.
He was a wonderful friend and comrade in arms. He taught survival to the guy who taught it to me in Vietnam.
Thaks Donnie Boy, I will miss you!
Patty i only knew Don for a short time if I had lived all of my life and had never kown you or him I would have been cheated I will always be thankful God gave me a chance to know you both. if there is any thing we can do for you just give ME OR TOMMY acall. may God bless you and i will always pray for you. your true friend Bobby crossville
Patti: You know you are in my thoughs and prayers. Don never ceased to tell us how lucky he was to have found you and we all know how lucky we were to have known both you an Don. Work schedule permitting I hope to be at Arlington on October 1 but if not, know that I will be with you in spirit. Love and hugs, Jaci
Patti: You know you are in my thoughs and prayers. Don never ceased to tell us how lucky he was to have found you and we all know how lucky we were to have known both you an Don. Work schedule permitting I hope to be at Arlington on October 1 but if not, know that I will be with you in spirit. Love and hugs, Jaci
Congratulations to the person that wrote this page, it was perfect in so many ways that I remembered Don. Being one of those who served with him I know the truth of what was written, and yet so much more,
Don was the first person I met when I reached the 19th and that picture is just as I remembered him. I was one of the new guys mentioned at one time, and when he left Vietnam, I tried to treat every new guy the way he treated me. there where the times with him in combat that where serious, and there where times when we laid back and Don wasok laughing and carefree as in the last years we got back together with Donnie at his birthdaycrabfeast, and all his friends that made us feel welcome, was the same Donnie as in Vietnam when we had down time, the moral was high because of that.He took care of his men, if you have never been in the service think of your friends and how you treat each other.
I may be ramble but one last thing,
Don’s LOVE for Patty, I don’t know anyone who talked so much about his love for her, she was the best thing that ever happened to him,he would say ,on a trip back from a unit reunion, we stopped at so many shops till he found what he thought was a perfect gift for her, not just any gift it had to in his mind be the perfect gift, that was Donnie.
Donnie was Donnie his whole life.
Ron
The world’s a better place for you having been here. RIP Brother.
rest in peace brother.
Patty and Family;
Thank God for Heaven and We will see Donnie again with our love ones Who have gone ahead of us. It was great to talk with you and Donnie a few days before he passed.
We have alot of great memories ! The great parties, Trips, dinners, Dances and most of all how much he loved you and the love you had for him.
Your faith will comfort you all. We love you and you are lifted in prayer.
Love forever,
Frank and Elena Davis
Dear Patty,
As I have said before, Donny always carried a smile in his heart and music in his step that touched so many for so very long….no matter where he was, his warm kindness was always all around ….. “special” doesn’t begin to describe it all. I feel very lucky that I was able to share that warmth and kindness with both of you during these past months. He is missed so very much, but the music carries on for him all the time…….especially with his favorite singer….Steve at Leo’s every Saturday night……. and it keeps his smile around us.
Patty, you are such a gentle and loving lady and Donny always told me how lucky he was to have you…..he loved you so much. Stay strong and keep that smile in your heart as well.
Love from your “Maryland family” here in Florida, Sharon
We were not into the brotherhood of all of the Vets. Just a bunch of guys who went over, did what we felt we had to do and came back friends. Enjoyed your hospitality, crabfest and cruise across the bay for dinner.
Our thoughts and prayers go to you, Patti, and your extended family. Donny will be missed.
John and Jeanette
To our dear friend, our deepest sympathy and love to Patty and family. We are so very sorry for your loss. May God bless you and keep you in His care.
Patti: We want to thank your husband DonnieThe Toad for all the wonderful memories he left with us and the band. The best for me is when he did the show at “Peace Crossing” and dressed up like a woman. For Ron it has to be the story of when “The Toad” ran over “The Whale”. For you, take your time, day by day and heal. LUV
HEY TOAD, IT’S BEEN A GOOD RIDE-A LOT OF GOOD MEMORIES-A COUPLE OF NOT SO GOOD ONES.. WE ARE GONNA MISS YOU. DEAR PATTI, ANY THING THAT I MIGHT SAY WILL NOT FILL THE VOID LEFT BY DONALD’S PASSING BUT PLEASE KNOW THAT YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS..
Patti: How lucky for you and Donnie to have found each other.
Donnie was such a fun person to be with, and all of his many, many friends will miss him,
We prayed so hard for a miracle for Donnie, but it wasn’t meant to be. At least he is no longer suffering, and we hope that time will eventually ease your sadness.
Love,
Janet and Tommy
To the Kauffman Brothers = Having lost my brother, I know how difficult this is for you. Tommy and I extend our heartfeld condolences.
Love,
Janet
Dear Patti,
My sympathies on the loss of your dear Toad. He was a very special person and always had a big smile and a hug for me even though I had known him for a very short time. He will be missed by all.
Patti today we will gather at Arlington National Cemetery for Donnie’s Christmas, he will be laid to rest,you will carry on and we will all be here for you always.His life’s journey that was cut way to short I think, is not over he will live forever with us and with you. I am sure that GOD has welcomed Toad, and he has found his place in heaven, after all he sent us a present already this past Sunday in Dallas. You are the best thing that ever happen to that boy, there is nothing that could have made his life better, or him happier, than being with you. So now we say farewel, for a time, although we can no longer hold you in our arms we will forever hold you in our hearts……… We love you, Moe and Marie Grimes
Dear Patti, We remember when you and Toad first met at Partners in Baltimore. How wonderful that you found each other…sorry you didn’t have more time together. Know that you and Toad’s family are in our thoughts and prayers.
Patti–You are in our thoughts and prayers. Donnie was a long-time and good friend to both of us. We will miss him, but we have many memories. We wish the best for you.