Lamar J. Kauffman
Coach is known for developing players who went on to be successful in life while attributing their success to the lessons and work ethic instilled by Coach Kauffman.
A viewing will be held at Clyde W. Kraft Funeral Home, 519 Walnut Street, Columbia from 2-4 PM on Sunday, January 11.
Visitors will also be received starting at 9:30 AM on Monday before the mass.
funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 409 Cherry Street, Columbia, at 11 AM on January 12, 2026.
private internment will immediately follow in Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery.
Lamar J. Kauffman, 88, also known as "Morrie" or "Coach," passed away on Sunday, January 4, 2026, surrounded by family at St. Anne's Retirement Community. Born in and a proud life-long resident of Columbia, PA he was the youngest child of the late Marie and Lewis Kauffman.
A 1955 graduate of Columbia High School, he earned an undergraduate degree from Millersville University and a master's in education from Temple University. Lamar went on to serve his country in the U.S. Coast Guard. He often proudly recalled he saluted President John F. Kennedy while marching in the Inauguration Parade in January 1961.
Lamar was an outstanding three-sport star at Columbia High School earning eight varsity letters in football, basketball, and track. He was named All-County in both football and basketball in 1955. He was inducted in to the Columbia High School Hall of Fame in 2011. He also won three varsity letters playing football at Millersville.
After college and his years serving his country, Lamar embarked on a career as an educator at Lancaster Catholic and Columbia High School before moving to Manheim Central and retiring after decades of sharing his love of history with middle school students.
As a man of faith, Lamar dedicated many hours to serving his parish of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, not only as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for 35 years and Marriage Encounter mentor but also an impressive handyman and talented painter whose skills were often utilized and quietly performed, including painting the cathedral area behind the main altar at Holy Trinity. He loved his daily 2.2 mile walks and his get-aways to Stone Harbor.
It is as a basketball coach that Lamar may have made his biggest impact. Lamar is widely regarded as one of the best to ever coach high school girls basketball in Lancaster County, if not in the state of Pennsylvania. Before leading the girls program at Lancaster Catholic, Lamar coached boys high school basketball as an assistant at Columbia (under Elmer Kreiser) and then at Manheim Central for 12 seasons. When the chance to coach his daughters opened at Lancaster Catholic, he took the opportunity and changed the lives of many young ladies over the course of the next 32 very successful years. He had a winning percentage of 81% while winning 764 games, 18 Lancaster-Lebanon Section titles, 11 Lancaster-Lebanon League titles, 12 District III titles, and 2 PIAA State championships. After coaching three of his daughters, he also coached with his son for a number of years. His pressure, trapping defenses combined with his disciplined and fundamentally sound team players were a hallmark of his coaching career.
After his retirement in 2014, he was inducted into the Lancaster Catholic Hall of Honor. In October 2014, he was also inducted into the Lancaster County Sports Hall of Fame and awarded the George W. Kirchner Memorial Award and the J. Freeland Chryst Award. Beyond statistics and winning, Coach is known for developing players who went on to be successful in life while attributing their success to the lessons and work ethic instilled by Coach Kauffman.
He is survived by his wife, Carolyn Kauffman, and his children: Kim Dinsmore (wife of Jeff); Peg Kauffman (wife of Kelly Bortner); Terry Tafelski (wife of Michael); Kelly Birk (wife of Scott); and John Kauffman (husband of Becky). He is also survived by his grandchildren - Hannah Dinsmore, Kate Ostrowski (Tyler), Andrew Birk (Ashley), Emily Birk, Zoey and Nora Kauffman, Kennedy and Owen Collier (children of James and Jami Collier), Christian Kehr and Lilly Klehr (children of Jennifer and Norman Klehr), and Payton Fulmer (son of Mark Collier). He is also survived by his first great-grandchild (Olivia Ostrowski).
He was predeceased by his first wife of 39 years, Margaret Ann Kauffman, and granddaughter Elizabeth Tafelski. He was also predeceased by his six sisters, Betsy, Virginia, JoAnne, Mary Lou, Tish, and Thelma and his brother Luke Kauffman.
The family would like to thank all those who cared for Lamar, especially during his three-year stay in the memory care unit at St. Anne's Retirement Community. Thanks also to Hospice and Community Care who provided kind and supportive hospice care to Lamar. The love and support made him feel at home during his final stage of life.
His funeral mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 409 Cherry Street, Columbia, at 11 AM on January 12, 2026, with the Rev. Mark Wilkie, Celebrant. A private internment will immediately follow in Holy Trinity Catholic Cemetery. A viewing will be held at Clyde W. Kraft Funeral Home, 519 Walnut Street, Columbia from 2-4 PM on Sunday, January 11. Visitors will also be received starting at 9:30 AM on Monday before the mass.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Lancaster Catholic High School Athletics, 650 Juliette Ave., Lancaster, PA 17601.
Send a Condolence
If you would like to send a condolence message to a family please fill out the form below and we will deliver it to them.