Thursday, October 1, 2026
Norman Kaufman, a former baseball coach and umpire for Long Beach/Lido Beach Little League, who provided a recreational outlet for the children, died on Sept. 19. He was 81.
Born on May 8, 1944, in the Bronx, and raised in Long Beach since he was 14, Kaufman came from poverty. His childhood was replaced with countless jobs. He envisioned a better life for himself, eventually he became an accountant.
He successfully left his unfortunate circumstances and aimed to aid kids going through similar struggles. Growing up, Little League baseball provided an escape for him, so to give back he formed the local Little League.
“He wanted every child to have a great childhood, so he tried to contribute in any way he could,” wife Robin Kaufman said.
Before 1970, Long Beach didn’t have a Little League. Then Kaufman collaborated with other community members, they got in touch with the state Little League and established the Long Beach/Lido Beach Little League soon after. In the next couple of decades, Kaufman dedicated his life to coaching and umpiring countless children within this league.
“He became very important to the Little League,” wife Robin Kaufman said. “When kids versed against a team, they knew they had a chance to win,”
In 1995 he was honored with a plaque from the Little League, for the decades of dedication and passion he had for his league.
Kaufman helped children in other sports as well. He ran a basketball association sponsored by Hannah Komanoff called Norman Basketball Association.
“He put your interests before his own, children and youth would come first,” his friend of 50 years, Jay Dervis said.
When he wasn’t on the field coaching, he and his wife, who owned multiple Baskin-Robins, including one on Park Avenue in Long Beach, would continue to assist young people in Long Beach, providing jobs and teaching them business.
The couple even provided a safe and welcoming environment for children who had family struggles.
“He acted as a mediator, along with myself, until we could get their families back together,” Robin said.
His active role in children and youth sports within the community boosted him into politics, as he was elected a committeeman. He represented the area know as the “President Streets,” between Roosevelt and Maple boulevards. As a committeeman, he helped raise money through fundraisers and actively worked alongside Nassau County Democrats, in an effort to better the city.
Kaufman moved to Boynton Beach, Florida in 2016. He enjoyed the sun, but always returned back to Long Beach.
“I respected what Norman did for the youth groups and bringing Little League to Long Beach,” Dervis said.
His friends and family will remember him for his compassion and unselfishness, and the impact he had on the city’s children and youth, and.
“His season on this earth is over, but he will be in our starting lineup forever,” his friend of five years, Carla Phelps said.
