Betty Jean Kauffman

Betty Jean (Wilkie) Kauffman, age 87, passed away peacefully on Saturday, November 16, 2019 in Lake Placid, Florida. She had been a resident of Sebring, Florida since 1987, where she and her husband, William “Bill” Kauffman moved from Bourbonnais, Illinois after his retirement. Born on August 28, 1932 in Corydon, Iowa to Carl and Mary Catherine “Kate” (Hayden) Wilkie, Betty grew up in Lineville, Iowa. In high school, her activities included playing basketball and singing. She and Bill, who was from Princeton, Missouri, were married in Lineville, Iowa in 1954. Betty worked at several occupations during her lifetime: bank teller, bookkeeper, licensed beautician, and secretary in the Pentagon. During their retirement, Betty and Bill enjoyed traveling around the United States and Europe, square dancing, playing bingo, going to casinos, and spending time with their children and grandchildren. Betty is survived by her son, James Kauffman (Nina Eppes) of Nashua, New Hampshire; her daughter, Leah K. Wilson of Shelbyville, Kentucky; and two grandchildren, James Wilson III (McKenna) of Bowling Green, Kentucky and Jessica Wilson of Shelbyville, Kentucky, and their father, James Wilson, Jr., of Simpsonville, Kentucky. Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Bill, and her two brothers, Billy Clarence Wilkie and John J. Wilkie.