We are mourning the loss of Shane Kaufman, 27, son of Rick and Karen Kaufman of Danvers, Ill. He was born July 2, 1976, and died June 13, 2004, as a result of drowning.
Shane attended his first gas engine show at Midwest Old Threshers in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, with his parents and sister, Tara, at the age of 2 months, and did not miss one show in his 27 years. Another favorite of his was the Prairie Land Heritage Museum Institute Steam Show and Fall Festival in Jacksonville, Ill. Growing up, he exhibited many gas engines, but took special pride in helping his father exhibit and operate the 1919 6 HP Witte buzz saw that belonged to his great-great grandfather James A. Altare of Alderson, W.Va. In recent years, he and his father acquired a one-of-a-kind 1895 Walls gas engine, which they also proudly displayed.
Shane owned and operated Kaufman Tree Service and also was an avid outdoorsman. He never knew a stranger. Whether working or playing, he lived every day to its fullest.
Shane is loved and survived by his parents, Rick and Karen; one brother, Jim; one sister, Tara Bentley; two nephews, Dylan and Devyn; and his many friends, especially one special gas engine friend, John Wall of Pine Bluff, Ark.
When you remember Shane, you will always smile. His passion was life itself. He left our lives much too soon, and we will forever miss him.
Submitted by Rick and Karen Kaufman, Danvers, Ill.
