William Joseph ‘Joe’ Anders, 71, passed away in Red Lodge, Montana on August 7, 2026. The oldest son of Bill and Vivian Anders, Joe was born April 10, 1955 in Des Moines, Iowa. Soon after, the family moved to Norwalk, where they lived until he was 8 years old, when Joe and his family moved to a 40-acre farm in rural Milo. He remained on the farm until graduating from Southeast Warren High School in 1973. During this time, he developed a love for the outdoors which included farm work, hunting, and fishing. Joe was also involved in 4-H and FFA, showing horses and cattle at the Warren County Fair. He was an exceptional student in high school, scoring one of the highest ACT scores in the state.

He enrolled at the University of Northern Iowa pursuing a teaching degree, but after approximately a year and a half, he left school to pursue other interests which included selling Electrolux vacuums and insurance in the Cedar Falls area. Joe also sold cars and worked at Scheels before starting his own painting business.

It was during this time that Joe became passionate about politics, working for the Democratic party in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. Eventually, he left to travel the country working for the construction union as a millwright. Stops included Arizona, Oregon, and eventually Red Lodge, Montana, where he worked on the construction of the Highway 308 bridge over Rock Creek in 2003. Following completion of the bridge in Red Lodge, he rented a residence in town and worked for local contractors in the area building homes.

Joe always had an obsession for geology and rock hunting which resulted in the family car being weighed down after most of the family vacations. After moving to Red Lodge, he started a rock and jewelry business out of his home before eventually securing a building on North Broadway, where he opened Red Lodge Rocks and operated his business until he passed.

Joe had a deep love of live music, frequenting Stebs on College Hill in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He attended numerous Grateful Dead, String Cheese Incident, and local live music concerts. This was one of many avenues in which he met lifelong friends. Joe’s friends describe him as a character who argued vigorously defending his opinion with a sharp mind and excellent memory. They said he enjoyed strategy games and was very good at them, especially chess and cribbage, and was a fierce competitor and difficult to beat.

Joe was passionate about a lot of things and wanted the world to know it. He had strong thoughts on religion and politics and was always up for a good debate or argument, whichever you wanted to make it into. While he was fierce in a debate, he was even fiercer in his friendship; the kind of guy that would argue to the point of yelling and remain a loyal friend afterwards. His friends were dear to him and he would do almost anything to help them out. His laugh was unique and infectious, but he would not suffer fools. This is very evident in the Google and Yelp reviews of his shop.

Joe suffered the Chicago Cubs for many years as an avid fan. He was also an antique Winchester gun collector.

His family was grateful for his residence in Red Lodge, Montana as it provided a reason to visit this beautiful area, including the Beartooth Pass and Yellowstone. His close relationship with family is evident in the many occasions he traveled to Iowa for Christmas and weddings. He had a special place in his heart for his nephews and niece, spending quality time with them during visits and teaching them cribbage and chess with no mercy.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bill and Vivian Anders; and his nephew, Bill E. Anders. He is survived by brothers, Matt (Lisa) Anders and Ben (Carla) Anders; nephews, Jon Anders, Jacob (Akilah) Anders, and Mitchell (Max) Keller; and niece, Olivia Anders.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Joe's name to Baretooth Cupboards (online or postal at PO Box 665, Red Lodge, Montana 59068).