Richard Karl Kaufman

Richard Kaufman, a cherished father, son, husband, and Nemo, lived a life full of humor and generosity: spreading laughter and joy throughout the world wherever his many travels took him. He made his final departure on 25 December 2024, at the age of 53.

He is survived by his wife, Tori Kaufman of Collierville, TN; son, Kyle (Kenzie) Kaufman, grandchildren Elliot and Easton Kaufman of Brookland, AR; son, Greyson Kaufman (Payton Dhooge) of Jacksonville, AR; father, Art Kaufman of Lonoke, AR; brother, Kris Kaufman of Lenexa, KS; stepdaughters Milori Herrin and Morgan Herrin of Irving, TX; and Christi Causey of Cabot, AR.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents; mother, Barbara Kaufman; and his first grandchild, Josie Hope Kaufman.

A viewing will be held 25 January 2025 at 1pm with service following at 2pm at Collierville Funeral Home.

Richard began his storied life on 20 May 1971 in Tucson, Arizona, as the first child of proud parents Art and Barbara (Lanphear) Kaufman. Born into a military family, Richard was accustomed to traveling and had moved several times before his dad retired in Jacksonville, Arkansas. Here he participated in ROTC and worked part time as a lifeguard with Jacksonville Parks and Rec., showing his dedication to serving his local community. This is also where he met his future wife, Christi Mooney. Graduating in 1989, Richard spent his summer as a canoe instructor at a girl scout camp where he was the focus of many crushes much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Christi.

In the fall of 1989 Richard would join the Army as E3 Private First Class and attend basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Upon graduation he would attend the Army’s Advanced Individual Training at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland before getting his first assignment at Fort Ord, California, the following year. This was not the only cause for celebration as Richard would propose on April fools to his highschool sweetheart: a move only someone as confident yet goofy as him could pull off.

The young newlyweds started their life together in California before being relocated to Bamberg, Germany, where he earned a certificate of appreciation award for his service in the Criminal Investigation Division among several other military awards. In 1995 the couple would move back to the states where Richard finished out his military career at Fort Hood (Cavazos), Texas with an honorable discharge. It was here where they also welcomed their first son, Kyle Kaufman into the world with loving arms.

Wishing to be closer to family, they journeyed back to Arkansas. Here Richard spent time as a private investigator before starting his illustrious career with the Post Office as a letter carrier. It was during this period that he would both go to night school to further his career as well as bring another child, Greyson Kaufman, into his loving family. He graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice from Park University all while he grew his career in the Post Office.

Juggling family and work, his two biggest prides, Richard was appointed to the position of Postal Inspector in the Little Rock division while still making time to coach his son’s baseball teams. He and Christi would end up divorcing, however he was still devoted to furthering himself as well as spending time with both of his children. As they grew up and developed their own interests he always took the extra effort to pick up their hobbies so that he could stay involved and contribute to the joy they brought.

He was soon given the opportunity to transfer to Guam in 2013 where he would discover a new passion in life, scuba diving. Without a wide array of entertainment available on the small island, Richard looked into getting his open water certification and fell in love. If he could do life all over again, he would always say he would have loved to be a marine biologist. He would continue to build certifications becoming proficient enough to become a deep sea, wreck, and master scuba diver along with special certification for diving the Guam Blue Hole and Cormoran/Tokai Maru. Richard even became a rescue diver so that he could use his special interest to help others. He would share this passion with both of his children, helping them become certified divers so they could enjoy the hobby together. The three of them spent precious time diving the waters of Guam, Hawaii, and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia: creating unique lifelong memories with one another.

Before his time on Guam was over, Richard would marry Tori (Herrin) Kaufman, and the couple would make the exciting move to Hawaii where he had accepted a promotion to Team Leader. They would spend the next four years enjoying all that island life had to offer including sharing Richard’s love of diving, both in Guam and Hawaii as well as in Palau and Mexico.

In 2020 Richard was reassigned to the National Headquarters in Washington D.C. where he served as program manager. It was at this same time that he gained a new and important role as Nemo. Elliot was born, marking the first girl to be born into the Kaufman family in over 60 years. With only a few years until retirement, Richard and Tori made the transfer to Memphis, Tennessee to be closer to family. Here he would spend his free time landscaping his backyard, doting on his dog, Shelby, and treasuring visits from family… especially the ones from his granddaughter Ellie.

From work to deep sea exploration to spending time with friends and loved ones, Richard always lived life to the fullest. He never let anything hold him back and he did everything he could do to help bring others with him on the journey. Let us honor him and his life by following in his footsteps: remembering to make the most of what we are given in life and to use our successes to help others reach theirs.