Cay C. Kauffman passed away peacefully on January 7, 2025, at the age of 97. Cay will always be remembered for his devotion to his family, his love for designing and his willingness to help with any project his family or friends needed.
He was born May 8, 1927 in Greencastle, PA. He was the youngest of the four children of Charles C. Kauffman and Ida M. Kauffman. At the age of seventeen he joined the US Navy and served four and half years as an aviation machinist/flight engineer. He was always proud of his military flight time on the Martin Mars and his years after as a pilot. He graduated from Penn State University in 1954 with a degree in civil engineering. His career started with Inter American Geodetic Survey in Colombia, then to Saigon, Vietnam. When coming back to the United States he was employed by The Bureau of Yards and Docks in Washington, DC. Cay retired after 30 plus years with the Federal Highway Administration in both Maryland and Iowa.
In 1957 Cay married Jessie Henderson, a nurse at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washinton, DC. Jessie and Cay were proud parents of son Chris, daughter Kathryn, and son Douglas. The family moved to Ames in 1968 where the three children graduated from Ames High and Iowa State University.
Cay was preceded in death by his wife, Jessie, and son Chris, his brothers Charles and Courtlandt, and his sister Chloe. He is survived by son Douglas (Kimberly) of Maryville, TN; daughter Kathryn (Kenneth) Coulson of Loveland, CO; two granddaughters Caitlyn Kauffman and Nicole Seedig (Jason); two step sons, Nick Coulson (Karen) and Matt Coulson (Kelly) and; five great-grandchildren, all in CO.
Cay specifically requested not to hold a service but instead to remember him with your individual memories. Any contributions in his name may be made to the Israel Family Hospice House, Ames, Iowa.
Online condolences may be directed to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com