Jo E. Anderson

Jo Eagle Anderson was born in Wichita, KS, on February 7, 1929 to Vivian Eagle Anderson and Earle Thurston Anderson. He was the eldest of three children (sister Earlene and brother Hal) and grew up in various towns in Kansas. From an early age he had his sights on being a doctor and graduated from high school at age 16 so he could get an early start on college at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas. He graduated in 1949 and went on to medical school at Kansas University. While at Medical School, Jo took a year off to become a Rotary Scholar to Bristol University in England. There, his interest in folk dancing and ability to call square dancing put him in the orbit of Veronica "Ronnie" Moore, whom he married in 1954 at University Friends Church in Wichita (4 days before his sister got married in the same church)! Prompted by his Quaker faith to live a life of service, Jo spent two years in Anchorage, Alaska serving as a physician to the Inuit population, before returning to the states to complete his residency in family medicine in Denver. In 1961, Jo and Ronnie and their four young children moved to Le Sueur, a community that he called home for the next 50+ years. He practiced medicine with partners Don Walden and Van George until 1996, relishing his involvement in the multiple generations of families he came to know, serving as an internship director for the Mayo System, and serving as the president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians in 1975. In the late 1970s Jo became an early advocate of hospice and helped found the LeSueur Hospice. In the early 60s, Jo began to collect and fix clocks, amassing over 50 clocks and earning him the nickname of "The Clock Doc". He also continued to be involved with exchange students, regularly hosting Rotary and AFS exchange students, and supporting each of his children as Rotary Exchange Students. After retiring from medicine, Jo continued his life of service through work with Habitat for Humanity, the Rotary Club, the Presbyterian Church, and geocaching with the LeSueur Youth Opportunities program. Jo died with dignity in the care of hospice at Sunrise Assisted Living in Edina, MN, only a few hours after a dozen family members gathered around his bed (with other family members joining by phone from around the world) to share memories. Jo is survived by his wife, Veronica "Ronnie" Anderson; his children Ronica (and Mark) Norton of Burnsville, Alan (and Patricia) Anderson of Apple Valley, Duncan (and Mary Hendrickson) Anderson of St. Louis Park, and Marsha (and Mike) Green of Durham, NC; his sister Earlene Mevey of Wichita; grandchildren Bethany and Josiah Norton, Julissa and Kelton Anderson and their mother Nancy Anderson, Jonah and Micah Anderson, and Tamsin, Sebastian and Tristan Green; many nieces and nephews; and a community of friends. Preceded in death by his parents and brother, Hal Anderson. Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at 11 a.m. at The Presbyterian Church in LeSueur. A time of visitation will be from 9 to service time at the church. (Ronnie will be in attendance after 10 a.m.) In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to LeSueur Hospice, American Friends Service Committee or LeSueur Youth Opportunities. Kolden Funeral Service is in charge of arrangements.