Joshua Lee Anderson

Joshua "Josh" Lee Anderson, 36, of Turners Falls, MA died peacefully in his sleep at home on Tuesday December 3, 2024. He was born in Vista, CA on January 19, 1988, to Darren Anderson and Brenda (Welch) Anderson. Josh attended local schools in California and was a graduate of Buchanan High School of Clovis, CA. He continued his education in Massachusetts at Greenfield Community College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and was actively pursuing a nursing degree. In addition to being a beloved brother and son, Josh was a veteran of the US Army, a brilliant musician, and a skilled caretaker of others. Josh was deployed twice to Afghanistan, served as a medic while enlisted in the Army, and retired as a Sergeant. For his heroic service he received the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 3 campaign stars, the Army Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, and the NATO Medal. Despite his impressive and valuable work with the Army, Joshua was truly known for his music. The passion was ignited by his parents, Brenda and Darren, along with his uncles. Starting in junior high, he started performing with local bands at local venues in the Central Valley of California. His first band was called Vespertine, and he toured the country with The Randall Shreve Band–at least he did until they discovered he was under 21. Joshua sang, played the keyboard, and the guitar. He was regularly creating and sharing new music, and has an album on Spotify called "5 Billion Star Hotel". Music was Josh's therapy. Josh was truly at his best when he had someone to care for, whether it was a stranger or a family member. As a patient care tech in Wesson 4 at the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, he was fondly referred to as "Joshy" by his coworkers. Josh applied his compassion and military medical knowledge to care for others. He was known for having a big heart. Josh also valued spending time outdoors and doing activities like hiking, biking, snowboarding, and motorcycling. He was an animal lover and enjoyed learning about the world and himself. He will be missed by his mother, Brenda Anderson of Montague, MA; his father, Darren Andersen of Fresno, CA; a daughter, Addie M. Anderson of Newport Beach, CA; three brothers, Dustin (Victoria) Anderson of Manchester, NH, Trevor (Sarah) Anderson of Stoddard, NH and Zachary Vaillancourt of Montague, MA; his maternal grandmother, Nancy Welch of Turners Falls, MA; his paternal grandfather, Roger Anderson of Fresno, CA; his "bonus" mother Caren Anderson Hyde of Oceanside, CA; nieces, Charlotte and Emma; nephews Dylan, Connor, and Ryan; his uncle, James Welch; his uncle Maury (Lisa) Welch of Nashville, TN; cousins Colton, Nicole, and Tyler; and a number of beloved extended family members. Services will be held on Saturday January 4, 2025, from 3-5pm at Kostanski Funeral Home, 1 Kostanski Square Turners Falls, MA 01376. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Franklin Area Survival Center in Turners Falls, MA (franklinareasurvivalcenter.org). Arrangements are under the direction of the Kostanski Funeral Home. For condolences, please visit www.kostanskifuneralhome.com. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joshua Lee Anderson, please visit our floral store.