Dale S. Kaufman, 71 and a resident of Friday Harbor, Washington for 17 years, passed away in Mount Vernon, Washington on May 9, 2017 after battling bladder cancer. He was born in Vancouver, Washingto on April 13, 1946 to Pete and Frances Kaufman. He graduated from Ridgefield High School in 1964. Dale married his high school sweetheart Georgia Sickenberger Kaufman, known to many as Gerri on April 30, 1965. They had three children, Kyle Troy and Andrea.

When living in Vancouver, Washington Dale worked for Bower Trucking and later Freightliner Corp. After retiring from Freight in 2000, he pursued his passion for woodworking by building custom cabinets. Dale and Georgia moved to Friday Harbor in 2001. He started driving dump trucks for Mike Carlson. When Mike realized Dale’s cabinet building skills, he had him stop driving and start building cabinets for his home. That is when the cabinet shop really started to move. Thank you Mike. At various times he would drive trucks for Richard Lawson and Thor Black. The cabinets were his love and great source of income. He became well known for his craftsmanship and with Georgia’s design skills they made a great team. In his spare time, Dale enjoyed the fruits of the islands by fishing, crabbing and shrimping. Many stories could be told by his family and friends of their time on the water.

Survivors are his wife Georgia, one son Kyle and daughter Andrea Bircher, all from Friday Harbor, grandsons Josh Boudreau from Friday Harbor and Taylor Boudreau from Spokane WA, a granddaughter Sabrina Bircher from Vancouver WA, great grandson, and Josh’s son James Ian Boudreau, lives with his mother Darianne Slack in Arizona. Dale’s sister Carolyn Kampsula lives in Vancouver, Washington nad sister-in-law and brother-in-law Cathy and Ross Bellamy live in Everson Washington. Glenn Sickenberger, Dale’s father-in-law lives in Everson Washington also.

He was preceded in death by his son Troy in 1992, his parents Pete (2006) and Frances Kaufman (1991) and his mother-in-law Thelma Sickenberger in 1998.

There will be an open house in memory of Dale at the home he and his wife built in Friday Harbor at 2634 Beaverton Valley Rd. on Sunday, June 25 starting at 11 a.m. Memorials can be given to Friday Harbor Animal Shelter in Dale Kaufman’s name.