NORWAY – Leland J. Kangas made one final lap around the Oxford Plains Speedway on Thursday before he was taken home to Greenwood and laid to rest.

Many remember Kangas, who died in a motorcycle accident six days ago, as a four-time race car champion who frequented the track at Oxford Plains.

At his funeral service Thursday, the auditorium at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School in Paris was packed with mementos from his racing days: photographs of his car – number 71, pictures with his pit crew, awards, a helmet and newspaper clippings documenting his wins.

But to those who knew him, Kangas was far more than a man in a red, white and blue racing uniform.

“He has so many titles,” the Rev. Lloyd Waterhouse told a crowd of about 400 gathered in the auditorium for the afternoon service. Waterhouse spoke of Kangas’ dedication as a husband, father and active member of his community. He was a firefighter, worked for the town of Greenwood and volunteered as a sports coach, he said.

“And it is true,” Leland Kangas’ daughter, Kim Kangas, said after stepping up to the podium, “that we’ve all said that every time you saw him, he had a smile on his face.”

Gentle laughter rippled through the auditorium as stories were told about Kangas’ pre-racing days, his ice-fishing escapades and his love of deer hunting.

After the services, people collected at the auditorium entrance before joining a procession of cars headed toward the speedway on Route 26 in Oxford.

Ray Seames, chief of the Greenwood Fire Department, stood at attention with men representing Tri-Town Rescue and the Norway, West Paris, Paris, Mexico and Peru fire departments. Seames said there were other departments at the funeral as well.

“He was a dedicated fireman. More than that, he was a friend,” Seames said of Kangas. “It didn’t have to be fire-related things – he would help anybody, anytime. So we’re going to miss him.”

Bruce Foster of Paris, who said he was once part of Kangas’ pit crew, smiled fondly when speaking of his race car days.

“He was just a bundle of joy – he was great to work with, great to be around at the racetrack,” Foster said. “He’s a person you’d want as a friend.”

People left the funeral in their suits and ties, summer dresses, Carhartts and motorcycle jackets. Some wore T-shirts commemorating the second annual Skunk Run, an event Kangas was participating in when he veered into the opposite lane on his Harley-Davidson and struck an oncoming van Saturday morning.

The Skunk Run is a memorial motorcycle ride in honor of Sandon “Skunk” Morgan, a West Paris man who died in a motorcycle accident in Buckfield in 2003.

Kangas was good friends with the Morgan family, Waterhouse said.

Shortly before the accident, Kangas said goodbye to his wife, Debra.

“He seemed real happy that day,” Waterhouse said, “as he drove by Debbie saying, Hi, Big Red.'”

It was a name he hadn’t used in a while, Waterhouse said.