Marion Keith Kaufman

Dr. Marion Keith Kaufman, passed away peacefully on Friday, November 2, 2018, at his home in Corvallis, Oregon, surrounded by his family. Keith is survived by wife, Cheryl; daughters, Kelsey and Hayley; dogs, Lucy and Genny; brothers Trent and Al; sister-in-law Debi; niece Devan and nephew Zeke; mother-in-law JoAn and father-in-law Wayne King. He was preceded in death by his parents. Keith was born on September 14, 1959, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Alfred and Mary Claire McNeill Kaufman. He graduated from Michigan Tech University with a BSCE in 1984. He continued his education at Purdue University and received a MSCE in 1986 and a Ph.D. in 1989. He was the Chief Engineer at Knife River in Harrisburg for 19 years and previously a Senior Bridge Engineer at CH2M HILL in Corvallis. He was also an Adjunct Professor at Oregon State University, teaching Prestressed Concrete Design for 26 years and leading his student teams in the North America annual Big Beam Contest. His OSU teams won the Big Beam National Championship in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2014. Under his leadership, OSU dominated the northwest region for almost 20 years. He will be remembered for his remarkable record and legacy of sustained achievement. His students greatly respected him and benefited from him as an instructor, mentor and team coach. In 2018, he was named PCI Fellow for his outstanding contributions to the prestressed concrete industry. He was also recently elected to the Michigan Tech Civil Engineering Academy, the highest honor bestowed to alumni, for his passion and advancement of the profession. On December 9, 1989, he married Cheryl Davis in Duncan, Oklahoma. In 1990, they welcomed their first daughter, Kelsey, and in 1993 their second daughter Hayley was born. Keith will be remembered for his love of cooking, woodworking, hockey, golf and gardening with his wife. Every Sunday you could find him and Cheryl riding their bikes at the Willamette River with their beloved dogs. He loved to teach and mentor students and colleagues. His friends across the country will remember his humble presence, excellence in his field and the humor and joy he brought to his profession. He enjoyed road trips to observe and photograph his bridge designs or the work of those he admired, especially Conde McCullough. He loved his daughters unconditionally, was at every sporting event and never missed the chance to cook his family their favorite dish. There was no recipe or style of cooking that Keith couldn’t master. A memorial service is scheduled at 4PM on Thursday, November 15, at First Presbyterian Church at 114 SW 8th St, Corvallis, Oregon. The Reverend Sharon Edwards will lead the service and a reception will follow. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the National MS Society https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Donate.

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Marion Keith Kaufman

September 14, 1959 - November 2, 2018