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 build anything.  He was a Detroit Tigers fan and looked forward to watching games on TV and in 2015 he attended a Tigers game with his entire family.  He was a long-time member of Bethany Lutheran Church.

Don is survived by his wife Sharon, his children Jon (Alison) Kangas and Cindy (Tom) Robinson; his grandchildren Elizabeth, Zachary and Jillian Kangas, Christopher Robinson, his sister Norma (Peter) Sevegney, nieces, nephews and other relatives.

He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, Janet and Sharon, and his grandson Alex.

The family will have a celebration of Don's life on Saturday, January 2, 2021 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Republic.  Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by a service at 2:00 p.m.  For everyone's safety, the church is limited to 50 people at a time and we ask that you please wear a mask and maintain social distancing guidelines.  Condolences may be sent online at bjorkandzhulkie.com.

Donald's funeral service recording may be listened to here .