David Phillip Kaufman

David Phillip Kaufman died from cancer on February 18, 2024, at a hospice in Hingham, Massachusetts. He was born on November 29, 1941, in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where his father, Louis L. Kaufman, was stationed.

David and his mother, Evelyn (Houston) Kaufman, were still recovering in the hospital when, eight days later, Pearl Harbor was bombed. David's five older brothers sheltered in a closet while Lou responded to the emergency. (There is an unresolved disagreement over which brother dug shrapnel out of the roof of their house, but the shrapnel ended up with the oldest, Frederick.) The government quickly shipped Evelyn, David, and his brothers to the mainland, where they then traveled by train to the East Coast.

Following this dramatic debut, David grew up in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and Tampa, Florida. By the time the family moved to Florida, David's family included four younger sisters and a younger brother. David particularly influenced his younger sisters Mary Lou and Nancy as to books, music, and his amusing outlook on life.

In 1963, David received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of South Florida (the school's first graduating class). After working in Vermont and New York, David moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he earned a Master of Social Work from Boston University. David worked at Boston Medical Center for many years as a clinical social worker before his retirement in the early 2000's.

Mary Lou already lived in Boston when David moved there. Eventually Nancy and David's youngest brother, Michael, joined them. Together with Jodie Wigren, Mary Lou's longtime partner, and Andrew Crane, Nancy's friend and ex-husband, they formed a close family unit.

David was an enthusiastic gardener from the time he was a teenager. His gardens were beautiful; indeed, his garden in Dorchester won a prize in Mayor Tom Menino's Golden Trowel contest, memorialized in a treasured photograph. Later, David created a spectacular garden in Milton, a Boston suburb, featuring conifers and perennials and a brook feeding into a koi pond. David also constructed and planted a garden for Mary Lou and Jodie in Charlestown and planted trees and shrubs in Nancy and Andy's garden in Jamaica Plain.

Given his adventurous spirit, David, of course, loved to travel. Frequently accompanied by his close friend, artist Donald Kelley, David visited every continent except Antarctica and Australia. David devised his own itineraries, and he did not confine his trips to just the major European cities. His travels extended to Asia, including along the Silk Road; the Middle East; northern Africa; and Latin and South America, where he perfected his Spanish. He documented his trips with fascinating photographs and sent the funniest postcards. David was always ready to discover new places and experiences, including, for example, birding with Mary Lou in Maine and cross-country skiing with Nancy, Mary Lou, and Jodie in Vermont.

An avid collector, David's home reflected his discerning eye and unique sense of humor. There you found the wonderful—and sometimes odd but always fascinating-- ceramics, paintings, rugs, furniture, and other entertaining and beautiful objets d'art that caught his eye on his travels and elsewhere.

David's home was also filled with classical music. David was especially passionate about opera; he visited many of the major opera houses in the world. He also loved film, painting, prints, sculpture, literature, and other art forms. Some of the family's fondest memories of David involve trips to New York to attend the Metropolitan Opera, visit the museums, walk through the parks and gardens, and try out new restaurants.

In addition to enjoying dining out, David was an exceptional cook. He always served a spectacular Christmas Eve dinner to his family and friends-- presided over by an Infant of Prague arrayed in ever-increasing splendor as the years went by. David's sense of humor was extraordinary, and he had a particular gift for identifying the ridiculous and pretentious. Nevertheless, as he liked to say, nothing human was alien to him.

David is survived by siblings, Tom (Thomas Kaufman) of Prince George, Virginia; Karen DeAmbrose, of Tampa, Florida; Mary Lou Kaufman of Roslindale, Massachusetts; Nancy Kaufman of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts; and Terry (Teresa) Kaufman, of Burien, Washington. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, including Mary Lou and Jodie's daughter, Li Velonis of Merrimac, Massachusetts. His family and friends miss him and will carry him always in their hearts.