Charles "Chuck" Kaufman

Charles “Chuck” Kaufman, 69 of Tucson, Arizona, passed away on December 28, 2021.

He was born on March 30, 1952 to Melvin and Lois Kaufman Bontreger.  They preceded him in death.

He is survived by his sister, Gail (Kevin) Brumbaugh of Wakarusa: brother, Don (Kris) Kaufman of Pegram, Tennessee; nieces, nephews, step niece and nephew, great nieces and nephews; and a great great nephew.  Also surviving are a step-father, Harold Bontreger; step-brothers Kent (Becky) Bontreger of Middlebury and Tim (Laurie) Bontreger of Goshen, their families and an innumerable amount of friends.

He graduated from Bethany Christian High School in 1970, attended Eastern Mennonite College and graduated from George Mason University with a BA in Government and Politics.

His wishes were to have his ashes scattered in the mountains of Tucson.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

He lived out his passion in being the voice of the voiceless.  His life is best remembered by excerpts of comments made by family and friends:

“He lived a passionate life in the service of many.  He lived his beliefs.”

“An inspirational man.  Your work and your memory will live on.”

“A principled, dedicated solidarity activist and an inspiration to many others.”

“You were a brilliant writer and astute analyst.  You did it with good humor and sincerity.”

“Your spirit and memory live on in the many lives you touched.”

“Thank you for the many ways you supported community, worked for justice and laughed! You mentored and supported so many.”

…”your wisdom and experiences always left an imprint on each of us.”

“You always embodied truth, honesty and real dedication to the work of Justice. Thank you for all that you gave, for the words you spoke and the example you were.”

“As cousins, we laugh so much together and today we cry together.  We will miss you, Chuck”.

“Somehow Chuck captured the complexity of what it means to be an American.  And, in my opinion, he worked all his life to try and elevate our collective moral compass.”

“Always kind, always curious, forever loved.”

Chuck Kaufman, presente!