Toivo Gustaf Kangas, 95, died Friday, August 18, 2006, at UMass Medical Center, University Campus. He leaves his wife Alvina (Lahna) Kangas, whom he married on Nov. 20, 1941; his children, Walter O. Kangas and his wife Susan of Schenectady, NY, Miriam K. Barber and her husband Brian of Mountainair, NM, and Nancy H. Irwin and her husband Don of Albuquerque, NM; six granddaughters; one great-granddaughter; and several nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brothers, Arthur, Arne, and Lawrence “Lauri” and his sister, Sylvia. He was born Feb. 4, 1911, in Worcester, son of John E. and Amanda A. (Hemminki) Hautakangas. As a young man, Toivo was a member of the Barnett Brothers Circus. He was a World War II veteran, and he retired in 1973 from Norton Co. after 33 years of service because of disability. He was a Free Mason and a member of Isaiah Thomas Lodge. He was also active in the former Finnish Lutheran Church in Worcester and was a member of Greendale Retired Men’s Club and their golf league.
Funeral services will be held Friday, Aug. 25, at 11:00 a.m. in Nordgren Memorial Chapel, 300 Lincoln Street. Burial will follow in All Faiths Cemetery. Calling hours will be held Thursday from 5:30-7:30 at the funeral home. The family requests that flowers and donations be omitted. For directions and on-line guestbook, please visit:
NordgrenMemorialChapel.com