Obituary: Donald Kaufman, KB Toys exec
By Staff -- Playthings, 10/16/2009 11:57:00 AM
PITTSFIELD, Mass.—Donald Lewis Kaufman, former KB Toys executive, died on Oct. 12 of natural causes. He was 79.
Kaufman, who in recent months made news among toy collectors for auctioning his vast collection of antique playthings, retired in 1981 shortly after KB Toys was sold to Melville Corp.
He was born in Pittsfield in 1930, the son of Harry Kaufman and nephew of Joseph Kaufman, co-founders of Kaufman Brothers, the candy wholesaling business that would decades later become toy retailer KB Toys.
Donald Kaufman joined Kaufman Brothers in the 1950s as the wholesaler took its first steps into retailing. As the company’s vice president, he played an active role in the company’s transition to full time toy retailer in 1972.
Kaufman is survived by his second wife, Sally; and three daughters and four grandchildren from his first marriage.
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