FRANKLIN - Joe Paul Anderson, 83, passed away on Friday, July 22, 2022.
Born in Madison County, he was the son of the late John Cling and Paris Jervis Anderson. Joe was a dedicated husband and father, and he loved spending time with his family and friends. He was deeply concerned for children and freely gave of his time to help any in need. He had many talents including gardening and farming; he loved being outdoors and tending to animals, especially cats, dogs and goats. He shared his love for animals with his family and often rescued uncommon wildlife such as owls, snakes, opossums and even spiders.
Joe was an avid reader and a big fan of UNC Tarheels basketball and Alabama football. Joe received his B.S. in education from East Tennessee State University. He and Margaret were educators in Michigan, North Carolina and Arizona. Joe was of the Baptist faith and attended Cowee Baptist Church in Franklin.
He is survived by his wife of 60+ years, Margaret May Anderson; daughter, Paula Anderson Cabe (James Ray Anders) of Franklin; twin daughters, Darlene Anderson Epley (Carl) of Marion and Marlene Anderson-Roden (Keith) of Fletcher; grandson, Chad Cabe (Katelynn Loftin) of Franklin; step-grandchildren, Maggie Roden Owens (Brent) of Kalispell, Montana, and Brock Roden of Eagle River, Arkansas; great-grandchildren, Brady and Lyla Owens; brother, Gerald Locke Anderson; nephew, Daniel Anderson both of Barnardsville; and numerous other nieces, nephews and cousins.
A celebration of life will be held at Cowee Baptist Church on Sunday, July 31. The family will receive friends at 2 p.m. and the service will start at 3 p.m. Rev. Jason Smith and Rev. Ronnie Branson will officiate.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org), Appalachian Animal Rescue Center (appalachiananimalrescuecenter.com), or Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org).
Online condolences can be left at maconfuneralhome.com. Macon Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.