Albert C. “Bert” Kaufman (93) of Effingham

Albert C. “Bert” Kaufman was born December 28, 1929, to Anthony “Tony” and Sophia (Schwerdt) Kaufman of Green Creek, Illinois.

A funeral ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 26 at Bauer Funeral Home in Effingham with burial in St. Anthony Cemetery with military rites. 

A visitation will be held from 4-6 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home and for one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the DAV Chapter 7 or Honor Flight.

Bert was drafted into the U.S. Army and was sent to basic combat training for eight weeks at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas in 1954 at the end of the Korean War. He was then transferred to Camp Schimmelpfennig close to Sendai Japan, where he spent a year serving as a tank mechanic, tank retriever, and assistant breaker operator.  Bert was honorably discharged from the Army in March of 1956 with the rank of Specialist 3rd Class.  Bert received the Good Conduct medal and a medal for qualifying as a Rifle Marksman.

Bert married Edith Langhorst July 7, 1962. He was a proud member for over 55 years of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 7 in Effingham. Bert enjoyed fishing and sharing tomatoes and rhubarb from his garden. After returning to Effingham following his discharge, Bert purchased the local Conoco gas station and ran a U-Haul business on the corner of South Third Street and Fayette Avenue in Effingham.  He ran the business for more than 47 years before closing in December 2003.

Bert is survived by his wife, Edith, daughters; Linda (Ken) Walk, Joyce Kaufman, Barbara (John) Moore, Sharon Kaufman, Carol Smith, grandkids; Laura (Brett) Reichart, Zachary, Mackenzie, Joah and Marina Moore and Madelyn Smith, and one great-grandson, Milo Reichart.Bert is preceded in death by his parents, sisters; Sister Marie Therese Kaufman, Norma Hoene, Agnes Walk, brothers; Adolph Kaufman, James Kaufman, and Clifford Kaufman.