Celebration of Life for Kaufman helps heal a hurting Knights Nation

When West Holmes Superintendent Aaron Kaufman passed away on Friday, July 10, it shook the school district to its foundation. Kaufman had served the district for over 27 years and was recently named district superintendent.

Kaufman held various roles with the district including teacher, athletic director, assistant high school principal, elementary principal, high school principal and most recently the superintendent, and he coached multiple sports.

With his passing Kaufman left an enormous hole in the West Holmes community. However, in his life, he left an even larger list of memories while touching the lives of those around him.

Those memories were shared at a community Celebration of Life honoring Kaufman on Sunday, July 19 at West Holmes Knights Stadium, where a large contingent of family, friends, co-workers and those who knew Kaufman turned out to pay homage.

With former West Holmes schoolmate and WQKT personality Pete Norman and long-time Knights wrestling announcer Bret Curren serving as hosts for the evening of remembrance, a line-up of those who knew Kaufman well shared stories that were at times humorous, touching, sorrowful and always insightful.

According to Norman, it was an evening that was greatly needed to continue the healing process, one that allowed the community to laugh, to cry and to love.

“It was a much-needed time to heal because a lot of people are hurting around here right now as we miss our friend,” Norman said. “We needed to come together to show not only what Aaron meant to us all, but to share that we are here for the family. That speaks volumes, and the turnout we saw was inspiring. That is typical of Holmes County and its people. Our community is hurting more now than it has been for a long time, and we needed this tonight.”

Kaufman’s commitment to his family and to Knights Nation was a huge part of his life. Whether it was at school, in sports or leading his family, Kaufman was remembered as a quiet but loyal man.

Kaufman, a 1991 graduate of West Holmes High School, was a standout athlete. He went on to attend Ashland University, where he obtained his teaching degree. He came back to his roots and quickly rose through the ranks at West Holmes, where his serious but wry sense of humor and devotion to the district made him a friend to many.

“Aaron was the epitome of West Holmes,” former Knights wrestling coach and middle school principal Jeff Woods said. “He filled every spot you can think of.”

Longtime educator, coach and athletic director at West Holmes Todd Day said Kaufman brought a spirit of sensibility to school. Having coached Kaufman as a youngster and through WHHS, then working alongside him as an educator, Day said it was exciting to watch Kaufman grow up.

“I believe his philosophy in dealing with education and students was that if what you’re doing is for the good of the kids, you’ll always make the right decision,” Day said.

Current educator and Knights wrestling coach Scott Vaughn had Kaufman as a teacher, coach and then as both a mentor and a wrestling father.

“My favorite time with Aaron was as a mentor in education when he helped me get through,” Vaughn said. “That was pretty significant. I think the thing I’ll remember most about him was his ability to joke around with you light-heartedly but at the same time call you out. I appreciate that he always held me accountable. In one way or another, he touched the lives of every one of us.”

Former Knights track standout Corey Reining spoke about what an inspiration Kaufman was and the example he set for him to follow when he would find himself at a low point in life.

Classmate Bill Ashcraft shared plenty of memories of his friend, among them sharing a life of being a Pittsburgh Steelers fan in Cleveland Browns country.

“This is a loss that is so great in our community. It is going to take each and every one of us to fill that void and to do our part and fill it with positivity and friendship,” Ashcraft said.

Ashcraft also said Kaufman was the one guy you wanted to suit up with and go to battle beside in whatever sport you were playing because of his fierce competitive nature.

“His hard work and dedication were contagious,” Ashcraft said. “He pushed others to perform at their best.”

Rich Patterson coached Kaufman in track and knew his star was destined for greatness, showing both athleticism and leadership skills. Kaufman held the record in the 300-meter hurdles for years before Reining topped it, and Kaufman was one of the first people to call and congratulate Reining when that happened.

While much of the evening was devoted to dealing with depression, Patterson switched gears and spoke about the need for everyone to be great listeners.

Educator Mindy Kick has known Kaufman since their days together in high school, and she said back in the day all of the girls thought Kaufman was “hot.”

In their professional lives at West Holmes, Kick said she fondly remembers so many times Kaufman picked her up when she was feeling down.

“I’d find myself in Aaron’s office, in tears, and Aaron would show me the kind of person he was,” Kick said. "He was compassionate and caring, and in a manner of minutes, he was able to take me from tears to laughter.”

Educator Jim Park shared a number of humorous stories about his friend. He also said Kaufman could convey more feeling in a word or two than most people could with many.

Park ended by saying he struggled to find the right words to sum up Kaufman’s life because he meant so much to so many in so many different ways.

"To Aaron, West Holmes wasn’t just a place or even his home or career,” Park said. “It went way beyond that. West Holmes was a defining characteristic of Aaron as a person. Aaron taught me that teaching wasn’t just a job.”

However, Park said as much as Kaufman loved West Holmes, he loved his family even more and was extremely proud of his children, bragging on them every chance he got.

Those sentiments were shared in several letters from relatives and friends who shared their sentiments, all of them focusing on Kaufman’s fierce loyalty to his family, his love for his wife and children, and his willingness to help anyone, any time.

In Kaufman’s passing, West Holmes Nation lost a big piece of its heart and soul, its community and its school.

As people heard throughout the evening, Kaufman was a key ingredient in so many different dishes in the district, whether it was with his family, his school or his community. He touched lives in so many different ways that despite there being a large number of speakers, the shared stories were as unique as those who shared, each showcasing another aspect of Kaufman’s life.

The love and respect for Kaufman could be felt throughout the crowd. One by one speakers arose to talk about their favorite memories of Kaufman that will stay with them forever.

“As you can see by the turnout and through the words we heard here tonight, you can never question the body of work of Aaron Kaufman. We heard the impact he had on the lives of those around him, and he will be forever missed and forever loved.”