February 5, 1946 – July 28, 2022

Gerald (Jerry) H. Kuffner, 76, of Brooklyn, New York sadly passed away on Thursday, July 28, 2022 in Pagosa Springs, Colorado after a long battle with cancer. Jerry was born February 5, 1946 to Harry and Ann Kuffner. After graduating from high school, Jerry joined the United States Airforce where he was eventually deployed to the Philippines during the Vietnam War. After leaving the Airforce, Jerry joined the City of Miami Police Department with his brother-in-laws, Lee and Bobby Dyer.

When Jerry left the police force, he moved to Breckenridge, Colorado, where he pursued his dream of becoming a ski instructor and volunteered his time with the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center.
He had a tremendous amount of love for the mountains, skiing and snowmobiling. He spent most of his blessed life pursuing his passion of skiing in the Rocky Mountains, never missing an opportunity to carve fresh lines in the deep powder snow. Jerry was affectionately known as Jerry D Snowman and Jer Bear. He was always a big supporter and volunteered a lot of his time with the American Legion, where he was given the title Sergeant of Arms.
Jerry spent the last 10 years battling cancer and beat it at one point. He was very fortunate to have the love and support of his ex-wife, Betty Johnson, who helped him battle cancer early on. Unfortunately, the cancer came back with a vengeance.

Jerry is survived by his two sons: David Kuffner of Parkland, Florida, and Steven Kuffner and his wife Kim of Stuart, Florida; in addition to his five grandchildren: Adam, Shawn, Preston, Priscilla and Ashley. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Ann, and his sister, Audrey.

His sons Steve and David always found time to go visit and ski, and Jerry always seemed to bring them to some out of bounds ski terrain somewhere either hiking up a steep mountain or in between some tree lines. They were pushed hard to challenge themselves and became very competent in their skiing abilities. The “iggy iggy iggy” and “woohoos” were always said between runs. He also loved to share old stories about the City of Miami PD with them. Jerry was very proud to have been a police officer and was loved by many of his peers, even to this day. Jerry had a special love for his grandchildren and found himself always feeling proud of all of their accomplishments.

A memorial will be held in the future at the Miami Police Benevolent Association for a celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center in Jerry’s honor.