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Michael Kaufman Obituary
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He was born on May 23, 1945, in Pekin, Illinois, to Benjamin and Marjorie (Kaiser) Kaufman. Mike married Jill Geiger on December 17, 1965. She preceded him in death on June 5, 2025. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Debbie Kaufman.
Surviving are his son, Christopher (Jessica) Kaufman of Kewanee, Illinois; daughter, Keri Phillips of Decatur, Illinois; grandchildren, Joe (Kali) Kaufman, Kadence and Steven Phillips; and brothers, Neal (Barbara) Kaufman, Dennis (Sharman) Kaufman and Dr. John (Jan) Kaufman. He is also survived by his honorary grandchildren, Jeremy, Megan, Joah, Kiley, Samuel and Kinsey Knapp.
Mike was a teacher for over 50 years, retiring in 2017. He and Jill were house parents at Salem Children's Home in Flanagan, Illinois for over 17 years. Mike loved helping children, but his true passion was helping disadvantaged kids. Later in life, his grandkids and adopted grandkids were what gave his earthly life meaning. After his wife, Jill, passed, his only wish was to be with her.
He was a member of the Morton Apostolic Christian Church, where a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 27, 2025, with church ministers officiating. Visitation will be held from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Friday, prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Morton Apostolic Christian Church Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to Apostolic Christian Restmor in Morton.
Knapp-Johnson Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Morton is handling arrangements. To leave an online condolence for the family visit www.knappjohnson.com. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Michael, please visit our floral store.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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140 S. Detroit Ave., Morton, IL 61550
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