BARNEY L. GANGA
OBITUARY
Barney Ludwig Ganga, after a long and courageous battle with cancer, died at his home in Las Vegas on May 2, amid the comfort of his beloved wife, Teresa, and his sons, Kristoffer and Nicholas. He was 61 years old.

Barney Ludwig Ganga

Mr. Ganga was the son of Lia Marks, of Nantucket, and Barney Ganga, of Venice, Fla., and the stepson of Frank Marks of Nantucket. Although he never lived on Nantucket, Mr. Ganga and his family spent much time on the island over the past 40 years, enjoying the sunsets, the moors and the historic ambience of town.

He was born on August 25,1946 in Darmstadt, Germany, where his father was stationed during World War II, and was brought up in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Millville, N.J. After graduating from Drexel University in 1969 with a degree in mechanical engineering, Mr. Ganga married Teresa Urias of Long Island that November. He soon began his own business in Long Beach, Calif., Tek-Reps, which specialized in hydraulic equipment.

Whether in California or Nantucket, Mr. Ganga loved nothing more than being with his family. He was a true hockey dad who watched his son, Nick, advance from the first Mighty Ducks junior hockey team, to junior hockey in Canada and eventually to the professional level, where he was an integral member of several UHL and ECHLAA teams.

An accomplished amateur photographer, Mr. Ganga chronicled the unspoiled Nantucket of the 1970s, expertly capturing the hues and nuances of the island's natural wonders with his vintage Hasselblad camera.

After he received the initial diagnosis of inoperable cancer in 1993, Mr. Ganga valiantly and heroically combated

the disease with determination and grace. He bounced back time and again from numerous operations and treatments, and continued to run his business until 2001. He moved to Las Vegas in 2007 to be closer to his sons, who had relocated to the city the year before.

Through all his trials, he relied on the strength of his family, who, in turn, drew inspiration from him. His body may have been weakened over the years, but his spirit never was. On his last trip to Nantucket, he traveled to Great Point Light, where he climbed the winding steps to the beacon and marveled in the sweeping view from the top rail.

Along with his wife, sons, mother, father and stepfather, he is survived by his sisters, Joanne (Ganga) Panunzio of Beverly, Mass., and her husband, William; by Karin Ganga Sheppard of Nantucket, and her husband, Steve; by a brother, Nick Ganga, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado, and his wife, Phyllis; by his nephew and niece, Blaise and Liesel Sheppard, of Nantucket; by many other nieces and nephews and by several great nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be private.