Charles David Kaufman
Charles David Kaufman passed away peacefully on February 9th, 2021 in Scottsdale, AZ at the age of 89 from complications of esophageal cancer. He was a man of numerous passions, dedicated to his career, family and his love of Scottsdale where he retired 25 years ago.
Charles (also known as Chuck) was born on April
17, 1931 in Brooklyn, NY to M. Laurence and Anna
G Kaufman where he attended his beloved Poly
Prep. He graduated with a BSc. in Business from Northwestern University in Illinois in 1952 and then spent two years in the Army, based in California, during the Korean conflict. After the army, he met his future wife of 63 years, Elvira Sampere Camps, while traveling through Spain. They were both visiting Toledo and started talking on the train back to Madrid. Six months later they were married in Morocco in 1955. Elvi, as she was called, passed away in 2018.
The newlyweds moved to New York City where he began his professional career with Coopers and Lybrand (1956-1958) and then Nestle (1958-1961) while also studying nights to get his MBA from NYU (1957), becoming a Certified Public Accountant (1959) and a parent of two children (1956 & 1958). In 1961, IBM recruited him into their international division where he held a series of jobs with increasing responsibilities. As the company names initials suggested, I’ve Been Moved, Charles and his family certainly did a lot of moving. In 1962 they moved to Paris, France where he was the Manager of Accounting Services. From 1964-1967 he was reassigned back to New York City where he was General Auditor – Latin America and then Manager of Financial Programs. Next came two years in Mexico City, Mexico (1967-1969) where he was Controller – IBM Caribbean Area. His final role with IBM was from 1969-1971 back in New York where he was
New Business Practices Task Force.
In 1971 he was recruited by ITT where he was assigned to London, England as Group Controller – Insurance Groups. Three years later he was promoted to Director of Financial Controls at ITT’s European HQ in Brussels, Belgium where he lived and worked for 11 years before finally returning to New York in 1985. He retired from ITT in 1994.
Charles and Elvira moved to Scottsdale in 1996 where they made their new home. Charles loved Scottsdale and enjoyed his house overlooking the Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community. A life-long exerciser Charles would wake up at 4:00am every weekday to be one of the first at the gym; he continued his gym membership till two months prior to his death. At night he loved to sit outside and stare at the huge night sky and admire the stars and planets. He was a keen horseback rider since his days of living in Mexico and would ride locally on weekends and spend one week a year at the dude ranch White Stallion Ranch. He loved skiing the European Alps and later he would take annual trips to Copper Mountain in Colorado.
He took his civic duty very seriously and worked for numerous Scottsdale organizations including the Scottsdale Police Department where he volunteered in the Police Budget Office and the Planning Research & Accreditation Division from 2002 – 2019. He also spent 16 years with SCORE in Phoenix (1996-2012) helping new and established businesses, the Finance Committee of Stonegate (his residential community) and teaching young kids at Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring (2017).
He is survived by his sister Phyllis Bosworth in New York, son John in Massachusetts, daughter Janet in New Jersey and 2 granddaughters in California, 1 in Massachusetts and 1 in Scotland. There will be no memorial service – at his request. If you would like to give something in his memory, Charles was an annual giver to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières).
SCOTTSDALE – Danny William Parks, 84, of
Scottsdale, Arizona, passed away on February 11,
2021. Dan was born June 6, 1936 to Troy and Luella
Parks in Wilsey, Kansas. His elementary school days were spent in a one room schoolhouse at Prairie
Flower. Later he attended Wilsey High School where he graduated in 1954. Despite never actually playing football before, he was awarded a scholarship to play at Emporia State University after coaches saw him as a thrower on his high school’s track and field team. Interestingly, Emporia offered him a music scholarship to play football as they had no more athletic scholarships to give.
In 1956, Dan left college to work with his dad in the oil fields in Wyoming. He worked for Halliburton Oil before starting a new career with Gambles, selling furniture and appliances. In 1957 Dan married his first wife, Colleen, and they had three children together. Since Dan hated the cold and snow, in 1967 they packed up their family and moved to Scottsdale for a warmer climate and Dan began working for Dir Sporting Goods.
After Dan and Colleen divorced he met Nancy Frye (who had 4 children from a previous marriage) through Pop Warner Football. They quickly caught each other’s eye and began dating. Before taking Nancy on a date, Dan would always bring popsicles or other special treats for her children. This small gesture assured Nancy that not only did Dan love her, but he loved her children as well. On July 2, 1972 Dan and Nancy married and blended two families together. Dan was intent on making sure that it was never her kids and his kids, but instead all 7 kids were their children.
Dan, being a family man, enjoyed watching his kids grow up, get married and start families of their own. He treasured time as a family and he and Nancy were always the first to host big family get-togethers. When not with family, Dan and Nancy would spend time with their close knit group of friends with whom he shared countless laughs.
In 2003, Dan and Nancy retired and spent their summers at their cabin in Munds Park where Dan took pride in his vegetable garden and learned how to make pickles, which he loved gifting to family and friends. In 2011, Dan was the Angel of the Year in the Munds Park Charlie’s Angels Golf Group. Between golfing, fishing, and spending time with family and friends, Dan and Nancy traveled the world. This was a dream of Dan’s since he was a young boy. Together, they traveled to South Africa, Normandy and everywhere in between.
As their family grew Dan and Nancy decided to start a new tradition called Destination Christmas. Instead of gifts, they would plan a secret outing for all their kids and grandkids during the Christmas season. These surprises would range from a trip to Disneyland to Medieval Times to Top Golf. This quickly became a highlight for the entire family and memories were made that all will treasure for a lifetime.
Dan relished in teasing all he met, ending each joke with a hearty laugh. His gruff exterior was a ruse, a cover for his sweetness and deep love for his family and friends. Dan taught his family to love big while never taking life too seriously. He never hesitated to tell you how much he loved you and this was especially evident in his marriage to Nancy. They truly were each other’s best friends and enjoyed the life they built together. They were an incredible example of true love, hard work, dedication, sacrifice and generosity. These qualities defined Dan and will be part of the incredible legacy he leaves behind.
Dan is survived by his wife Nancy of 48 years, son Dave Parks (Cherry), son Mark Gilbreath (Becky), son Patrick Parks (Michelle), son Greg Gilbreath (Susan), son Scot Gilbreath (Laurie), daughter Susan Schlepp (Todd), son Todd Gilbreath (Tina), his sisters, Alice and Bonnie, 19 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren and countless nieces and nephews. Dan had always said it was one of his greatest blessings to know and love his great grandchildren.
Services will be held at Valley Presbyterian Church in Paradise Valley on Friday April 16th at 10:00am. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that donations be made to Hospice of the Valley.
Dan will be missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. His humor and kind heart will live on through generations that were lucky enough to love him and be loved by him.