William Donald "Bill" Kangas, age 76 of Buhl and formerly of Makinen, died Tuesday, February 16, 2010 with his loving wife at his side in the St. Mary's Medical Center Hospice Care after a brief struggle with acute leukemia with complications of pneumonia. He was born September 17, 1933 in Duluth, the son of William J. and Wella (Maki) Kangas and was raised and resided in Makinen until moving to Buhl in 2005. Bill attended the Makinen Elementary School and graduated from Cotton High School. He graduated from Dunwoody Institute in 1953 with a degree in carpentry.
Bill married Evonne Lanthier on November 28, 1953 in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Canyon. He served in the U.S. Navy Seabees from 1955 until 1957 and was stationed on Kwajelain in the Marshall Islands and on Adak in the Aleutian Islands. Bill was employed by the Iver Johnson Lumber Co., ABI Construction, and retired from ISD 2142 in 1995. He enjoyed fishing and just being on the water, camping, snowmobiling, gardening, traveling, and retirement.
Bill is survived by his best friend and loving wife Evonne "Bunny" Kangas; sister: Marilyn Larson of International Falls; nephew: Brent (Sylvia Wier) Larson of Trenton, NJ; nieces: Valerie (Bob) Fichuk of Fort Francis, Can, Jill (Bruce) Carty of Dayton, MN, and Julie (Ric) Boman of Bemidji; great-nephews: Dexter Fichuk and Landon Carty and great-niece: Maisie Fichuk; numerous cousins; and was "Uncle Bill" to many of Bunny's Family.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brother-in-law: James Larson; and Godson: Brian Johnson.
Bill's zest for life and his unique sense of humor will be remembered by all who knew and loved him.
A Service in Celebration of Bill's Life will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday, February 22, 2010 in Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Virginia. Pastor Bob Simensen will officiate. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the Church. Spring Interment will take place in the Makinen Cemetery.
Special thanks to the medical staff at St. Mary's Oncology Unit, ICU and Hospice Care. A very special thanks to Tom Warden P.A. Oncology and Sister Sue.
Family services provided by Bauman-Cron, A Bauman Family Funeral Home in Virginia. To share personal remembrances of Bill online, please see: www.baumanfuneralhome.com.

Visitation

Monday February 22, 2010 , 12 Noon - 1:00 p.m. at Our Savior's Lutheran Church

Celebration of Life Service

Monday February 22, 2010 , 1:00 p.m. at Our Savior's Lutheran Church

Spring Interment

at Makinen Cemetery

1-888-579-7953 Code: 74804P


Facts Born: September 17, 1933
Place of Birth: Duluth, MN USA
Death: February 16, 2010
Place of Death: Duluth, MN 55805
Occupation: Retired Carpenter
Hobbies: Fishing, Camping, Snowmobiling, Gardening, & Travel

Memorial Donations Memorial donations can be made to: