Richard Lorne was born in Hanover on Wednesday, November 29, 1950 to William David John and Cora Susan (Fortune) Kaufman. He was the youngest of four boys; Wayne, Howard, Bruce and Rick. The Kaufman’s grew up on the 12th of Bentinck where their parents farmed. They attended S.S. #9 in Crawford and Chesley District High School where Rick stopped in Grade 10.
Rick spent the summer at Interforest and moved in the fall to Toronto to find work. He ended up spending two years there however, city living was not for this country boy and he moved to Kitchener. There he worked for a year and a half, moving from job to job before deciding to move back to this area. Rick was not a guy to stay at one job for long, so it should not be a surprise that in one particular year Rick cycled through 9 jobs. His record for the shortest job ever worked? 4 hours. Rick went on to spend 18 years working at Bruce Power as a labourer in Construction and following that he returned to Interforest in Durham. After another 13 -14 years at Interforest he semi-retired in 2007. In his spare time, Rick helped out as a custodian at the Bruce-Grey Catholic School Board.
While he was attending Chesley High School he met a lovely young woman by the name of Linda Henkel. After graduating high school, Linda attended Mohawk College in Hamilton. The couple re-met in a bar in Paisley in 1973, and that was that, as they say. Linda Marlene Emma and Richard Lorne were married at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Chesley on July 11, 1975.
The young couple first lived in Chatsworth and then Desboro. Together they had Chad in 1975 and then Coreen in 1979. Rick and Linda later built a house on property severed from his father’s farm. When the kids were young and in school they moved into Chesley and remained there until 2001. It was then that they built their dream home on a beautiful 40 acre parcel of land on Grey Rd. 3 with the help of Tim Klages…….
Rick had many passions. The first and foremost would have to be hunting. He treasured his collection of guns, enjoyed moose and deer hunting which always included going north as far as Geraldton for two weeks every hunting season for over 35 years. Planning meetings started early in the year for this trip, and usually took place in the shed on Rick and Linda’s property. Now, apparently Rick’s drink of choice for a long time was Dave’s Light Beer. Why you may ask? Well, because it was cheap, of course. Then there was Rick’s choice in music – good taste. He loved George Jones, Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, in fact all the oldies but goldies. It may be an unknown fact that Rick always wanted to be a singer! That is until he came to the realization that he didn’t have a good singing voice!
Fishing at Tea Lake in Algonquin Park for Lake Trout and in the local creeks for Speckled Trout was a close second in terms of passions. Chad remembers the funny story of camping with his Dad and having to move out of the tent to the hard ground outside because of Rick’s snoring. Coreen tells the tale, a really big tale, of going creek fishing with her father and most of her casts ending up in the trees. What she did catch was a really big log, which they brought home to the family.
Rick also enjoyed curling and woodworking. As you can tell, the outdoors and nature was a large part of Rick’s life. He would spend countless hours outside on his property and walked many of miles searching for his beloved morels in the spring and puff balls in the fall, both eatable mushrooms of course!
Rick’s greatest passion was his grandchildren. He showed each one of them how to fish, took them all for four wheeler rides and made each of them feel like they were the most important person in the world. They really were his pride and joy, and especially his source of light and strength when he was ill.
Vehicles and Rick got along really well! He cared for them with loving care. One particular grandson remembers Poppa and the red truck! Loving, and knowing, vehicles, Rick always wanted a 1963 Ford Thunderbird as it was the last year they were produced with the rounded taillights. Sadly, it never came to pass.
A really funny story is told about how Linda and Rick each had their own vegetable garden as they each had their own tried and true ways of gardening. Rick always had tomatoes in his garden and Linda, for sure, did not! No one will stake a claims to whose garden was the best though! (Smart people!) Dogs were a big part of Rick’s love. They were always outdoor dogs as Linda always thought they did not belong in the house. Soooo, at night they would sleep in the garage. The Kaufman family is really good at compromise!
Of all their dogs, “Stan” was Rick’s favourite and he looked forward to being re-acquainted with him in heaven! One of the cutest stories ever told was seeing Rick go for a walk with Stan in front and the cat Vinnie following behind him. Way too cute!
When it came to TV and reading Rick did not sway much. He enjoyed all shows about nature of course, most documentaries and it shouldn’t be hard to figure out that Ontario Outdoors was his magazine of choice. You would of struggled to learn of Rick’s favourite colours, as he was colour blind. However, when asked about a favourite meal pork chops and sauerkraut would quickly be brought up along with the game, fish and mushrooms he brought home from his outdoor adventures.
Then of course, there was the ice cream that Rick loved so much! – Maple Walnut and Tiger Tail were the best! Towards the end, all Rick could eat was ice cream, and sadly enough there was only vanilla at the hospice. However, being how wonderful everything is at the hospice, the staff quickly found Rick some of his own personal stash of Neapolitan Ice Cream!
And speaking of ice cream. Lovely memories are made of Linda and Rick driving to Crawford for ice cream and just happening to be in the area to drop in to see Chad, Julie and kids. Other memories of other regular visits with Coreen, Jason and kids, as well as numerous phone calls. Rick taught his family to have a good heart, to be good people, as he led by example. He always subscribed to appreciating the simple things in life and coached his family in the same way.
Rick had a great sense of humour which, despite his pain and suffering, managed to keep it to the very end. He was really easy to talk to and could hold any conversation. He was loving and caring. Rick truly appreciated others who had a great sense of patience and always had the desire to have more himself. Rick’s proudest achievement, however, was his family and home. He was always thankful for all he (they) had! As for advice, he would probably say, “If you can’t afford to buy it then don’t!” and wanted to best be remembered as a “good, old guy.”
Rick was first diagnosed with Colon cancer in March of 2014. In the last few years he has undergone several treatments to improve the quantity and quality of his life. Although this period was very difficult for Rick, he always was appreciative of the support and visits by his family and friends.
Richard Lorne Kaufman of R.R. #1 Chesley, passed away surrounded by his family at The Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce, Owen Sound on Thursday, March 9, 2017 in his 67th year.
Beloved husband of Linda (Henkel). Loving father of Chad (Julie) of West Grey and Coreen Kaufman (Jason Meyer) of Peterborough. Precious grandfather of Cameron, Harmony, Marshall, Luke, Landen and Addison. Rick will be sadly missed by his brothers Wayne and Bruce (Brenda) Kaufman, all of Hanover and sister-in-law Dorothy Kaufman of R.R. #1 Chesley. Fondly remembered by Linda’s siblings, Dianne (Don) Gullett, Carol (Geoff) Ankenmann, Paul (Nancy) Henkel, Debbie (Scott) Millar and Susan (Larry) Hutchinson and their families. Rick was predeceased by his brother Howard and his parents William and Cora (Fortune) Kaufman.
A casual, come and go, celebrating Rick’s life will be held at Rhody Family Funeral Home, Chesley on Thursday, March 16, 2017 from 5 – 8 p.m. Inurnment in Chesley Cemetery.
Memorial donations to The Residential Hospice of Grey Bruce would be appreciated, as they provided exceptional care to Rick and his family in his final days.
