John A. Kangas Jr.

John A. Kangas, Jr. was born on April 24, 1946, in Painesville OH, to John A. Kangas, Sr. also from Painesville, OH and Ellen J. Kangas (Burtt) from Kingsville, OH. John is survived by his wife, Betty A. Kangas (Garvin). They just recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

John was the oldest of 3 children. He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Linda Peterson, Painesville, OH. John is survived by his brother Ken Kangas (Cindy), Madison, OH. 

John was a devoted father and grandfather. His children include 3 sons: John J. Kangas, Brian B. Kangas (Marisol) and Scott J. Kangas (Anne Cybenko), and one daughter, Jessica M. Urbaniak (Matthew). His 5 grandchildren include Keith Kangas, Liam Urbaniak, Clara Kangas, Allison Kangas, and Belle Kangas. John coached Scott’s pee wee football team for several years, participated in Indian Princess’ with Jessica for several years. He also took Jessica to 5:00 am ice skating practices and carpooled on his day off to Cincinnati for skaters to have ice skating lessons. He loved babysitting his grandson, Liam, from the time he was 3 months old until he was 18 months old. They developed a special bond and enjoyed being together to watch their favorite pro football team, the Cleveland Browns. 

John retired from Entenmann’s Bakery in 2005 after 28 years as a driver/salesman. In addition to John enjoying spending time with family, he also enjoyed traveling and cruising. For many years, he and his wife belonged to the National Road Corvette Club, Springfield, OH and then the Greater Dayton Corvette Club, and enjoyed many outings and social events with the members of these clubs. He served twice as a guardian for Dayton Honor Flight to accompany veterans to Washington, D.C. to see the various war memorials. While both veterans served in World War II, one of those veterans was John’s father. That was truly a highlight of John’s life. His father had shared very little information about his service in the war until that trip when he was with other veterans who shared his experiences. 

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm at Newcomer Centerville Chapel (820 Miamisburg-Centerville Road, Dayton, OH 45459). A memorial service will begin at 2:30 pm.

To share a memory of John or leave a special message for his family, please visit the Guestbook below.