Donald Arthur Kangas
REPUBLIC, MI – Donald Arthur Kangas, 82, longtime resident of Republic, passed to eternal life, peacefully at home, while in the loving care of his family, on December 27, 2020.
Don was born on January 26, 1938, in Detroit, the son of Arthur and Helen (Waananen) Kangas. He graduated from Republic High School in 1955 and went on to enlist in the US Air Force and was stationed in South Korea and KI Sawyer Air Force Base. Don married Sharon Sullivan on May 15, 1965. He started his mining career in 1965; working at Champion Mine, Republic Mine, and Empire Mine for 33 years and retired in 1998.
Don loved being out in nature and enjoyed hunting, fly fishing, camping, and four-wheeling. He traveled to Montana, Wyoming and Idaho to fly fish and he enjoyed fishing with his son at Fence River. Don was also a mechanic and painted cars at his own shop, Don’s Body Shop. He loved working in his garage and was very meticulous and detailed in what he did; he could fix or