- Date Of Birth: January 31, 1933
- Date Of Death: December 17, 2020
- State: Michigan
Lawrence Samuel Kangas, age 87, of Kalamazoo (formerly Cheboygan), Michigan, passed away suddenly on December 17, 2020.
He was born on January 31, 1933, in Mass City, Michigan, to Samuel and Aili (Ahola) Kangas. After graduating from Mass High School, Lawrence went to work at the Fisher Body factory in Lansing for a year to save up money to marry his high school sweetheart, Florence Marie Kemppainen. They were married in Mass City on September 26, 1953, and together they started a milk delivery business where Lawrence was the “milkman” for over a decade. After selling the business, Lawrence fulfilled a dream of becoming a mechanical engineer. He attended Michigan Technological University and graduated in 1966. He then went to work for Proctor & Gamble at its paper plant in Cheboygan, from which he retired in 1990. After retirement, Lawrence and Florence spent many winters in Gulf Shores, Alabama, while maintaining their primary residence in Cheboygan and also spending time at the family farm in Mass City. In November 2018, they relocated to Kalamazoo.
Lawrence loved his family and friends and enjoyed any activity that they did together, including hunting outings with his sons and summer family gatherings at the farm, where he taught his daughters and grandchildren how to build that perfect sauna fire. He was a master of projects, including building and maintaining his own homes and helping his children with theirs. He and Florence enjoyed traveling together and he was also an avid golfer until later in life.
He is survived by his wife, Florence; five children, Christine (Dean) Miars, Laureen (Mark) Bulovic, Dan (Kathy) Kangas, Judy (Kurt) Salters, and Sam (Cathy) Kangas; many grandchildren, Jennifer Schroeder, Sara Marx, Kathryn Jones, Thomas (Erina) Cross, Hanna Kangas, Jake Kangas, Cora Kangas, Emma Kangas, and Eli Kangas; three great-grandchildren, Sarah Jones, Schylar Cross, and Rosie Cross; several brothers and sisters, Edward (Nancy) Kangas, Mildred (Charles) Holmstrom, Joan Johnson, John (Clara) Kangas, and David (Gayle) Kangas; and a sister-in-law, Helen Johnson, and a brother-in-law, Roy Kemppainen. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Ruth Vandevelder.
