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Joyce G. Kaufman

April 20, 1925 – Sept. 11, 2021

Kaufman

Joyce G. Kaufman, 96, a noted Bucks County restaurateur, passed away Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021, at her home. She was born in Altoona, daughter of the late Charles W. and Edith Lefebvre Crump.

Joyce was preceded in death by her husband, Brooks D. Kaufman; and siblings: Earl Crump (a World War II casualty), Edna Gleichert, Lina Kane and Beulah Rohnstock.

Surviving are a nephew, Henry C. Kane; and a niece, Karen Sigler.

Joyce met Brooks in the summer of 1942 shortly before he joined the war effort, serving as a Marine pilot in the South Pacific. They married on his return in 1947. Together, they moved around the country for Brooks’ new innovative career as a licensed commercial helicopter pilot (one of the first in the country) for Bell Aircraft.

Joyce’s early career endeavors were in fashion modeling and working in bookstores. She was an avid reader with special interests in English mysteries, politics and history. She enjoyed traveling around the country and loved the opportunities that came with Brooks’ work. Eventually, the couple returned to Pennsylvania and made their home in Bucks County.

In 1972, Joyce and Brooks opened the Inn at Phillips Mill in New Hope (Solebury Township). They took a barn and former school adjacent to their residence and created a fine restaurant and a Bucks County destination. Brooks, a successful architect, oversaw the transformation from barn to restaurant. Once opened, their endeavor became a showcase for Joyce’s many talents. She loved preparing simple but delicious meals. The warm welcome her family and friends had always enjoyed at her home became the hallmark of the restaurant. Joyce maintained the same high standard in the kitchen, assuring the Inn at Phillips Mill its excellent culinary reputation. Joyce and Brooks later established the Tattersall Inn, a bed and breakfast in Point Pleasant.

An avid animal lover, Joyce bred and raised Burmese cats. She loved her home and garden. Together she and Brooks made quite a team.