Obituary of Joel N. Anderson

Joel N. Anderson, 73, died in Minneapolis on April 9, 2024 of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was born in Litchfield, Minnesota to Norman and Elaine (Nelson) Anderson and grew up in Cokato, Minnesota. Joel participated in Boy Scouts, and delivered newspapers as a youth, and enjoyed the opportunity to meet many people in town in the process. He and his friends enjoyed exploring the town and its environs, including Sucker Creek and Devil’s Island. They tracked Sucker Creek from its origins to its end.
 

After graduating from Cokato High School in 1968. Joel attended the University of Minnesota in Morris and the Twin Cities studying art. He worked in the printing industry and later as a graphic designer and free-lance illustrator.
 

Joel was intensely curious, and had many varied interests. He was a prolific artist, photographer, illustrator, writer, cook, and a self-taught linguist. He liked architecture, particularly the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, and designed houses and floor plans, and built highly detailed model houses.
 

He had an encyclopedic knowledge of cameras, and gathered a large collection of antique cameras of which he was very proud.
 

A fan of science fiction, Joel enjoyed writing his own, and has a novel being published in the near future. He was one of four managers of an international project to collect and publish in their original form the complete works of science fiction writer Jack Vance.
 

He was a wonderful big brother to his six younger brothers and sisters.

Joel was preceded in death by his parents and brother David, and is survived by brother Steven, sisters Jane (Terry), Sharon (Shari), Susan (Ron), and Margaret, nephews Joel (Kristina) and Peter (Amanda), niece Anna, and many long-standing friends and colleagues.

A memorial gathering will take place on Wednesday, April 17 at 1:00 p.m. at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, 4343 Nicollet Ave S in Minneapolis. Memorials preferred to the ALS Association or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

To view Joel's memorial folder, visit:  https://www.canva.com/design/DAGCbm6_-EI/-T5c7aPzVJKrf6ttBIfUYQ/edit