Thomas Edward Kanas

Thomas Edward Kanas was born February 1, 1936 in Windber, Pennsylvania and passed away peacefully on April 18, 2020. Thomas was one of ten children born to parents George Kanas and Susan Hadzima Kanas. He graduated from Windber High School and received a scholarship to play football at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. He later went on to receive his Masters of Social Work from LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Thomas lived his adult life in Houston, Texas and spent most of his career as a social worker for the Veterans Administration Hospital from which he retired after over 30 years of service.

Thomas loved saltwater fishing in Galveston Bay. He enjoyed backyard gardening and cooking and was a wonderful cook! His favorite shows were Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns, crime dramas and Charles Bronson movies (he would always mention that Bronson grew up in Pennsylvania near his home town). He loved watching football and Fox News. Thomas was a big University of Houston fan.

In his younger years, Thomas was a single dad raising two daughters and was very proud of them. Once his daughters were grown, he enjoyed helping them with their home projects as well as just visiting and spending quality time with them. He was very generous and willing to lend a helping hand to others. He absolutely loved spending time with his friends for dinners and social outings. Thomas was quite a character and his personality made people glad to be around him.

Thomas joins his parents, George and Susan, and his siblings George and Albert Kanas, Dorothy Chapman, Mary Ann Rich and June Campane in eternal rest. Thomas is survived by daughters Kimberly Kanas-Tracy (husband Bryan) and Dina Kanas, grandsons Derek and Nathan Tracy, sisters Lillian Verna (Andrew deceased), Ethel Kanas, Cecelia Heckler (husband Donald) and Shirley Schmidt (Howard deceased), as well as numerous nieces and nephews who all loved him dearly. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.