Joseph William Anderson

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Joseph William Anderson, 18, went home to Heaven on May 24, 2024, after a tragic work accident, surrounded by his family and the prayers of many others who also loved him. He was a faith-filled, energetic, and hardworking young man who made the most of his short time on earth.

We welcomed Joseph into the world on July 3, 2005, during a tornado warning and just in time for the Fourth of July, which really suited his love of God and country. Even as a baby, Joe was a ball of energy, kicking his feet nonstop and bouncing in his jumper seat constantly. He learned to run almost as soon as he learned to walk, and seemed to have an endless reserve of vitality and zest for life. As a toddler, he put that boundless energy to work, literally, by doing everything from “cleaning”  church windows during Mass to helping his dad spread big piles of mulch using his toddler pedal tractor and trailer. 

From a very young age, Joe joyfully lived out his love of God with diligent daily prayer and enthusiastic involvement at our home parish, St. Anne, in Hamel. Over the last nine years, he has served at over 500 Masses, rarely missing the opportunity to serve on Sundays and also serving at daily Masses, Latin Masses, and on special Holy Days. He was so blessed to get to know Father Belden and the other altar servers over the years, forming a tight group of good friends. As parents, we were always inspired by Joe’s reverence and holiness in serving God through the Mass, as well as his faithful daily prayer life.

A lifelong athlete, Joe greatly enjoyed playing football and basketball for Wayzata over the last eight years. He was always a true team player, giving 200% on the field and the court and was often seen running up and down the sidelines encouraging his teammates or talking to the coaches while not playing. Joe also loved golfing, wake surfing, hockey, and lifting weights — even when he had very active, physically demanding jobs, he’d still go to the gym afterwards. 

An entrepreneur and businessman at heart, Joseph has always been very hard-working and industrious—owning his own businesses, working many hours at a golf course over the years, and even taking initiative to start investing in the stock market. Academically, Joseph excelled at Bethel University, where he had already earned his first two years of college credit as a high school student. He made many wonderful friends there, some of whom were to be his college roommates this fall at Grand Canyon University in Arizona. He planned to study Business Entrepreneurship and, true to his driven, goal-oriented nature, was on track to earn his Bachelor of Science degree by the age of 20. 

Joe has also always been very family-oriented and servant-hearted, and faithfully prayed the rosary with his mom every night. He also always had time and energy to run around and play with his first nephew, John, with whom he had a special bond. We could also always count on Joe to take the wheel, as he enthusiastically drove during family road trips and piloted our boat during summer days on Lake Minnetonka. Joe always took great pride in taking good care of his things, and we’d often find him working in the garage, washing and maintaining his much-loved truck. Words fail to capture Joe’s vitality, passion, hard-work ethic, kindness, loyalty, and love for others.  What a beautiful gift his life has been to us.  

He will be greatly missed by his parents, David and Laurie, and siblings, Whitney, Katherine (Jacob and nephew John), Sophia, (Michael and niece Cecilia) and Samuel; grandparents, Russell and Janet Anderson and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.  Joseph is preceded in death by his grandparents, Kenneth and Dolores Wenner. 

We will be having a visitation at the Gearty-Delmore Funeral Chapel, 15800 37th Ave. N., Plymouth on Monday, June 3, from 5-9 PM. Prayer Service starting at 8 PM at the funeral home. Mass of Christian Burial at the Church of St. Anne, 200 Hamel Road, Hamel on Tuesday, June 4 at 10:30 AM.