Donna Kaufman

Donna Kaufman, 86, of Watertown, SD, and formerly of Wilmot, SD, passed away in Watertown, on Saturday, June 27, 2026.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Wilmot, SD. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Wilmot with a prayer service beginning at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday. Reverend Aaron Asmus will officiate, and burial will take place at Wilmot Cemetery.

Donna Mae (Van Cleve) Kaufman was born on April 23, 1940, in Sisseton, SD, to Donald and May (Evers) Van Cleve. She graduated from Wilmot High School in 1958 and from Concordia College in Moorhead, MN, in 1961 with a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Music Education.

On June 11, 1961, Donna was united in marriage to Milton Kaufman. They lived near Browns Valley for one year and then moved to rural Wilmot in 1962, where they resided until Donna moved to Watertown in 2018. During her life, Donna taught elementary school in Browns Valley for five years and then taught elementary music in Wilmot for 30 years.

Donna was a faithful member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Wilmot. She enjoyed teaching, playing, and sharing music; gardening; sewing; camping; playing cards; and spending time with her family. Donna loved people, as shown through her involvement in LCMS church missions, 4-H, Marriage Encounter, foster parenting, foreign youth exchange programs, and volunteering for Hospice. Most important to Donna was sharing Jesus and music with everyone she met.

Cherishing her memory are her children: David (Melissa) Kaufman of Las Vegas, NV; Linda (Mark) Ramsey of Castlewood, SD; Paula (Dave) Hulscher of Florence, SD; Sarah (Nick) Geikas of Bay City, MI; and Becky Kaufman of Sioux Falls, SD; grandchildren: Andrew Kaufman, Alex Kaufman, Joshua (Amanda) Williams, Jacob (Nicole) Williams, Adam (Nicole) Williams, Rebekah Ortiz, Joey (Rebecca) Ramsey, Allison (Scott) Schmitz, Nathan Hulscher, Lukas Hulscher, Kate Hulscher, George (Whitney) Geikas, Jonah Geikas, Wesley Runge, Danica Runge, Genequa Christion, and Mataires Duncan; great-grandchildren: Savanna Schmitz, Thomas Ramsey, Gidian Ramsey, Peyton Williams, Weston Williams, Kaiden Williams, Carson Williams, James Williams, Lincoln Williams, Nicholas Geikas, and Josette Jones; sisters: Jean Elsinger of Wilmot, SD; Dorothy Bogue of Brookings, SD; and Beverly (Tom) Blann of Lakehills, TX; as well as many nieces and nephews and many foreign exchange students, especially her Japanese daughter, Hiromi Kushida.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents: Donald and May Van Cleve; her husband, Milton Kaufman; and her foster daughter, Marjorie Metellus Duncan. 

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in memory of Donna to the Alzheimer’s Association, 225 N. Michigan Ave Floor 17, Chicago, IL 60601 or at Alzheimer’s Association .