Nikki M Kangas

March 16, 1982 - October 26, 2019

Nikki Kangas, aged 37, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2019 surrounded by family and friends. She was born March 16, 1982, in West Palm Beach, FL, to Kory Kangas and Cheryl Rose. She graduated from Palm Beach Gardens High School in 2000 and later went on to nursing school. She graduated nursing school in 2010 and immediately took an interest in critical care nursing. She spent her post-graduation time as a floor nurse at Jupiter Medical Center on the telemetry floor. She also floated through different departments during her time at Jupiter Medical Center but knew that the ICU would eventually be her home. She began working for the Progressive Care Unit in 2011, ICU unit in 2014, and felt like she had finally found her place. ICU nursing was tough but Nikki Kangas loved the challenge. She worked her way up to being a relief charge nurse most of the nights that she worked. She would get off in time to take her girls to school and daycare, go home, sleep, and start her day in the mid-afternoon. She often spoke about her shifts… the people’s lives she was able to save, the cases that did not go well. She was candid in telling those close to her that if there was a patient that was on the cusp of passing away, whether it was her patient or not, she would go sit by their side and hold their hand because she believed no one should move on from this life alone. She also started something she called “Heartbeat in a Bottle” where she used the telemetry machine, a machine that tracks heart rhythm, to capture the last few heartbeats of a patient’s life. She encapsulated it in a small bottle and would present it to the grieving family. She would describe moments like these as beautiful tragedies. Beautiful in the fact that something as tragic as death has the power to bring together families, even some that hadn’t seen each other in years. Yet, when those families join together, they instantly support each other, they shared happy and often funny stories about the patient which they promptly shared with their care staff. She described learning so much about the patient’s life in their final moments and it was fulfilling to know the extraordinary lives they lived. Nikki is survived by her beautiful daughters, Jasmine Kangas and Luna Gorman; her father Kory Kangas; her step-father and mother, Frank and Cheryl Rose; and her siblings, Kari Kangas, Kyle Geary, Tyler Geary, Frank Rose Jr., and Heather Rose. Friends, family, and others whose life Nikki touched will be invited to join in on honoring Nikki’s life at Palms West Funeral Home, 110 Business Park Way, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411, on Saturday, November 9, 2019. Reception starts at 9:30am, services start at 10am. Participants will be ask to write a funny story that occurred between them and Nikki, even if it is not shared, so we can bind a book for the girls to be able to learn what a hilarious, smart, and sparkling soul their mother was in life. Please also feel free to bring pictures to share as it was Nikki’s wish to have as many photos of herself with family and friends as possible around during the service. Nikki’s favorite charity was the pit bull rescue associated with Pitbulls and Parolees, Villalobos Rescue. Please consider making a donation to the charity in lieu of flowers. The link is https://www.vrcpitbull.com/how-you-can-help/donations/ Please join family and friends after the service for a celebration of life at Ocean Reef Park on Singer Island at 2pm.