Viola Belle Kaufman

Viola Belle Kaufman passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 24, 2022, one month before she would have been one hundred years old. Vi was a warm, loving person, and she will be missed by her family and her many friends.

Vi was born on January 23, 1923, on a farm in Allamakee County, Iowa to Marion and Ira Smith. She was the youngest of five children; and, like all farm children, she had chores to do while growing up: hauling wood for the stoves, tending a flock of ducks, weeding the garden, assembling honey cards, and gathering hens' eggs. By the age of seven, she could back up a tractor to pull hay bales into the barn loft.

Vi was the only one in her family to go to high school; and, after graduation, at the age of nineteen, she began teaching in a small, one-room country schoolhouse. Teaching was different in those days. Not only did she teach grades one through eight in the same room, but she had to arrive early enough to make a fire in the wood stove to heat the school; and, after the school day was over, she had to straighten up the classroom and sweep the floor. Her hot lunch program was a water-filled wash boiler on the stove where the children could heat cans of soup for lunch. Today that schoolhouse, called the "Little Red School House", is preserved as a historical site in Allamakee County.

Later Vi went to junior college in Lansing, Iowa, where she met her future husband, Harry Kaufman. They worked on the yearbook together and he helped her with trigonometry. During WWII, Harry joined the Marines and was stationed in the South Pacific. Vi traveled by train to California where she contributed to the war effort by working as a welding inspector in a shipyard. Harry and Vi married in 1944, in Corvallis, Oregon, while Harry was still in the Marines. He left the Marines in 1946 and enrolled at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, where their son, Gary, was born.

After graduating as an engineer, Harry accepted a job with Goodyear Rubber, and they moved to Akron, Ohio and then to Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1955, Harry took a new job with Union Carbide, which at that time operated the Oak Ridge nuclear plants in Tennessee. They moved to Kingston, Tennessee where their daughter, Nancy, was born. Vi made friends easily and was a leader in the local garden club and the Presbyterian Church. She and Harry enjoyed playing bridge with their friends.

In 1966, Harry changed jobs again and they moved to Apollo, Pennsylvania. Vi found Harry's dream house there, with a pond and fifteen acres. Vi and Harry enjoyed gardening, fishing in the pond, bowling, and golfing at the local Elks club golf course. Vi also cared for her mom, Marion Smith, in their home. In 1984, Harry retired; and they moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. After twenty years of Pittsburgh winters, they very much appreciated the sunny, warm climate. They bought a little house on a golf course and played golf and bridge with their friends. Vi and Harry also delivered "Meals on Wheels" to local residents who were unable to leave their homes.

In 2000, after riding out two hurricanes, they decided to move once more. This time it was to Pennock Village, in Hastings, Michigan to be near their daughter Nancy, her husband, Lou Marks, and their three children. In Hastings, Vi and Harry filled their lives with family, grandkids, gardening, and playing bridge. In 2020, after nearly 76 years of marriage, Harry died; and Vi moved to Nancy and Lou's house.

Vi loved to write poetry and tell vividly detailed stories about family times. Each year she sent a warm, humorous Christmas poem to her family and friends. She also loved cooking; and, according to her family, she made the world's best lasagna and Syrian bread.

Until her last week, even though her memory was failing, Vi was busy living life. She enjoyed weekly activities at the Hastings COA, dining with family friends, attending concerts, and watching her great grandchildren play softball.

She is survived by her son, Dr. Gary Kaufman, her daughter, Nancy J. Marks, P.E., five grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren. The family is grateful to Spectrum Hospice for their excellent end-of-life help and support. A service is being planned at a later date. Arrangements by Girrbach Funeral Home. For updates or to leave an online condolence visit www.girrbachfuneralhome.net.