Nicholas R. Gangi – 93, of Somerville, died on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge.
Born in Boston, MA on March 9, 1928. He was the son of the late Emanuele and Mildred C. (Giannusa) Gangi. Nicholas was a U.S. Army Veteran of World War II, he enlisted at age 18 and he served from 1946 to 1947.
He worked as a Purchasing Agent for the Charlestown Navy Yard for 25 years, Hanscom Air Force Base for 15 years and also for Sears.
Nicholas has been a resident of Somerville for the past 77 years. He was a member of the Boston Table Tennis Club, National Table Tennis Association and World Veterans Table Tennis Association.
Family members include his loving wife of 61 years, Iris D. (Heid) Gangi; his daughters, Valery Allen of Kodak, TN, Brenda Weaver and her husband Kerry of Westford and April Gangi of Somerville; his brother, Victor Gangi of West Newbury; 6 grandchildren, Hillary Vite and her husband Gilberto of TN, Jason Weaver of MA, Bruce Weaver of NH, Vance Banks of WA, Cory McGill of AZ and Curtis Banks of TN and 4 great grandchildren in TN. He was the brother of the late John and Emanuele Gangi, Madeline Wetzler, Teresa Payne, Josephine Gangi, Stella Meyer and Anna Desmarais.
His Funeral will be held at the Croswell Funeral Home, 19 Bow Street, North Reading on Thursday, February 17 at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 9:00 AM to 10:45 AM. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery in North Reading. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his memory to the charity of one’s choice. www.croswellfuneralhome.com
I’ve known Nick for several decades.
We shared endless conversations and I always enjoyed sharing ideas with Nick.
Such a wonderful friend to me and so many at the Boston Table Tennis club.
Nick was admired by all, displaying integrity in all that he did.
He generously volunteered his time and efforts at the club and assumed responsibility for running the day-to-day operations. He was a major contributor to the success of the club.
Nick will sorely be missed. RIP my friend.
Don Najarian
NIck was like a grandfather to me and the patriarch of the Boston Table Tennis Club. Some say that the merit of a man can be defined by how he makes us feel about ourselves. And seeing Nick at the club ALWAYS made me smile and feel at home. Quite frankly, if it weren’t for Nick, I’m not sure the BTTC would have water, ginger ale and, my favorite, orange soda (which he’d always buy, I think, because he knew I loved it), along with the assortment of ice cream sandwiches.
One day, as I peered from the 2nd floor window of the BTTC, I saw Nick close his car door carrying 24 bottles of water and begin to walk up the 2 flights of stairs to the BTTC. Here he is, a nonagenarian and he’s carrying close to 30 pounds up these steep, narrow steps. I told Nick, “I’m gonna kill you if I ever see you doing that again!” On this occasion, he begrudgingly let me carry the bottles, but there were plenty of times when he’d ignore my pleadings (maybe out of stubbornness, but more likely out of a sense of independence and desire to provide for others). This is a man who was truly BEAUTIFUL, inside and out.
As much as I loved playing table tennis with Nick (and I sure did!), just hanging out with him and listening to his stories is what captured me most. Now I bet he’s giving God trouble returning all those balls, as he’ll forever be one of his Table Tennis Angels.
I love you, my friend, and I miss you dearly.
Barry Hershenow
Nick was the heart and soul of the Boston table Tennis Club, doing all the chores that needed doing and welcoming all newcomers. To me personally, he was a great friend and doubles partner. he will be sorely missed and always remembered.
Tim Kelly… Remembrance of Nick
My dear friend Nick was the club manager at the Boston Table Tennis club for many years… One of the great memories was his unassuming way and willingness to help anybody and everybody at the club, whether they were a long time member or a first-time visitor….
He had a way of commenting about things that he realized he couldn’t control by saying. “What are you going to do?”… Followed by a shrug and imparting the message that we cannot change things that we have no control over so just deal with it and go with the flow…
We had many fun times and lots of laughs …almost in disbelief how Nick could compete with players much younger than him …. His chopping style, along with the famous “circle walk” after he won a point against an unsuspecting opponent was legendary… Very rarely did he have to all out attack as his consistent chopping style would wear down the opponent….
He purchased beverages and snacks and brought them to the club to stock the refrigerator…. Sometimes players would forget to pay for the beverage or snack and when he was told about this he would again shrug his shoulders and say”what are you going to do?”…. Never upset and always even tempered… He made up the shortfall out of his own pocket….
Nick had a long history in the sport and was a huge part of the Boston Table Tennis Club…. Now that he has passed the question that is unanswered for the membership is ….without Nick …”what are we going to do?”….
The club will never be the same without you dear friend.. you inspired us….. Please rest in peace…. Heartfelt condolences to your family and fellow friends…RIP❤️
He is now resting in peace
Nick was the best reason to play Table Tennis. Always a welcoming presence in the club, Nick was always encouraging to others and ready to play. That he was competitive in his 90’s was an inspiration to all. Nick was the heart of our club and will be sorely missed