William S. Kanis

Mr. William S. Kanis, of Brookline, formerly of Waltham, died Friday, June 5, 2009 in the Epoch Nursing Home, Chestnut Hill. He was 86. Bill was born in Brighton on December 28, 1922, a son of the late Joseph and Brunaka Kanis and had lived in Waltham for most of his life. Until his retirement he worked as a draftsman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Waltham. Bill joined the United States Marine Corps in May, 1941 and served until the end of World War II. He participated in battles in the British Solomon Islands, the Marianas Islands and on Saipan and Tinian. As a member of the 4th Marine Division he landed at Iwo Jima in February, 1945. On March 28th, five days after the historic flag raising at Mount Suribachi, Bill was wounded in action and was the recipient of the Purple Heart. He was the husband of the late Anita (Jackman) Kanis, brother of the late Steven Kanis and is survived by his niece, Irene Sobeck of Florida and his sister-in- law, Nellie Caul and her family of Canada. Family and friends will honor and remember Bill's life by gathering at 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham before leaving in procession to Saint Jude Church, 147 Main Street, Waltham where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in Mount Feake Cemetery, Waltham. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of one's choice.