May the roads be clear and the curves fast

Kasak, Nils Arne - September 20, 1945 - July 4, 2018

Nils passed away at home in Sawyerville in Quebec on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. 
Nils was born in Göteborg, Sweden to his Estonian parents Meeta and Arnold Kasak (both deceased). 

He is survived by his son, Paul Kasak (Debbie); his granddaughter Paulina; his brother Andres (Viivi); his sisters Helgi Osterreich (former spouse Norbert) and Liivi James (former spouse Barry); his nieces, Elva Osterreich (Randy) and Jennifer Gruger (Michael); his nephews, Tom and Gerry Kasak; Andres, Heino and Toivo James; and great-nieces and great-nephews. There will be a gathering, followed by a celebration of Nils' life at the Rideau Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home starting at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 12, 2018. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Old Brewery Mission in Montreal in Nils' name or to the charity of your choice. Sincere thanks to all those who befriended Nils, laughed with him, cared for him and joined him on his journey through life. Arrangements entrusted to Rideau Memorial Gardens.

Eulogy

Elva Osterreich (Neice)

Date Entered - (Jul 23, 2018)

Nils Arno Kasak Born in Sweden in 1945 following the family’s harrowing escape from war torn Estonia and Latvia in September of 1944, Nil Kasak began life with a happy childhood in Sweden. He and his older siblings, Helgi, Andres and Liivi, emigrated to Montreal, Canada with their parents, Meeta and Arnold Kasak, in 1950. He started working out of high school at his father’s furniture factory, AKA Works. Nils and Nancy Slanec eloped and were married in 1967. Their son, Paul, was born in December of the same year. He opened a car repair garage and Texaco station here on St. Jean Boulevard and became interested in auto racing. Working with his brother Andres on his crew, he raced Austin minis and Volvos in the Quebec racing circuit with Andres becoming a racing driver as well. In 1972 Nils was part of a racing accident which resulted in a broken neck which put him in a full neck/body brace and in traction for nine months following a pioneering spinal operation. He came back to a full recovery. After his parents separated in the 1960s, Nils stepped forward to help out his mother, Meeta. Later, Nils worked for his brother who had a construction business, Kascon, in Toronto. He then lived with Andres’s family in Toronto on Camilla Drive while he drove trucks across the United States and Canada delivering mill-work and furniture. When he was no longer allowed to drive a truck in the U.S. because of a change in regulations, Nils lived in Havelock, Onterio for a time. He also lived for a time at the family cottage, a beloved place of all the family. During his time there, as well as before and after, he lovingly and grumblingly served as lumberjack, electrician, plumber, glazier and all around handyman. He painstakingly researched the boundaries of the properties originally purchased by the group of five Estonian families who had emigrated around the same time. His little dog and long time companion, Mascot, is buried there. His generous nature led him to spend time and work with the elderly mother of a friend from his racing days. The woman lived at Van Kleek Hill in Onterio. He would buy her food, mow her property and spend time with her as her health was declining. Nils’s life has had many ups and downs. He has been a beloved, funny, industrious, fond-of-the-ladies, opinionated, giving, pain-in-the-ass and he will be unbelievably missed by so many.

Through Leopold's eyes

 

AKA conversation with Nils

Sigrun Bulow-Hube : Scandinavian modernism in Canada

Scandinavian modernism in Canada theses

Skype conversation, October 2013.
Elva: "Sigrun? Is that a real person"
Nils; "I remember her very well I worked at the store for a bit"
Elva; "She designed everything?"
Nils:  "Not all but most. very famous."
         "We could get a lot of money selling furniture designed by her lol"
          " I have a bunch in Havelock"

SIGRUN BÜLOW-HÜBE

View of living room designed by Sigrun Bulow-Hube for Habitat '67

Nils: "the stools were made from the samples which showed the colours etc"
        "Don't forget who dyed those belts working hard at home."
Elva: "Who? You?"
Nils: "EMA I did help her lol"
         "big galvanized tub on stove ..."
        "duhh u bring back memories which have not come forward from the depths for a long time ..."
        "looking at those chairs broing bck old old memories hidden deep in the depths and now jumped forward lol"
Elva: "What r u remembering?"
Nils: "working at the factory taking inventory of all the chair frames ..."
         "the people who worked there ..."
         "the worker who made most of those chairs would bring his sons in to help because he got paid by piece work"
Elva: "How much did they sell for?
Nils: "god knows lol $$$"
         "I even worked at the store before and did some selling"
         "got fired from there lol"
Elva: "why did you get fired?"
Nils: "cause there was a yoyo there and I refused to do something for him"
Elva: "must have been our brother."
Nils: "no my brother never worked at the store.
Elva: jk
Nils: "It was separate from the factory"
         "Got laid off from the factory by Ivar."
Elva: "was he the yoyo?
Nils:    "no he was not involved with the store."

AKA FURNITURE CO. LTD.

A piece of Montreal life

The Mountain City Four — Kate McGarrigle, Jack Nissenson, Anna McGarrigle, Peter Weldon — at the Montreal Folk Workshop, Moose Hall, Montreal, April 1964, one of Kate and Anna's first shows. Photo by Brian Merrett.