With deepest sorrow we at Henryhand Funeral Home regret to announce the passing of Joseph Anderson, 75, of Kingstree, SC, husband of Judy Millspaugh Anderson, who passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2026.

All arrangements and professional services have been entrusted to Henryhand Funeral Home of Kingstree, SC. 843-354-2292

Joseph Anderson, Jr., of Kingstree, SC, passed away on April 12 at his home in Kingstree after a long illness. He was born on May 25, 1950, to the late Joseph Anderson, Sr., of Philadelphia, PA and the late Louise Tisdale Anderson, also of Philadelphia, PA, but who was originally from Greeleyville, SC. As a boy, Joseph Jr. spent many of his summers in Greeleyville with his Tisdale grandparents. The rest of the year though, he grew up in North Philadelphia, in the heart of "the 'hood". He was determined to rise above the values, or lack thereof, by which he was surrounded. He graduated from a vocational high school, married and had six children, but he did not stop striving. He worked days and attended college and graduate school at night, eventually earning a Master's degree.

Joseph, Jr. primarily considered himself to be an entrepreneur however, and had several businesses in Philadelphia, including a gas station/convenience store in one of the poorer neighborhoods in the city. His intention was to give back to the community, but the business failed. He was also, for a time, a stockbroker. On the morning of September 11, 2001 however, he was employed as a charter bus driver for a company based in Philadelphia. His employer asked for volunteers to go to New York in response to that tragedy. He did not hesitate, and he reported for duty at ground zero on September 12, and did not come home until the middle of December. He later worked as a tour guide in Philadelphia, delivering a 90 minute memorized lecture on Philadelphia's history. He loved that job, but it didn't come with benefits. In 2006, his wife was struggling with esophageal cancer and could not work. In order to provide her with health insurance, he gave up the tour job and went to work for a major airline as a customer service supervisor. Because of his experience as a responder in 2001, the airline tapped him as a responder to the "Miracle on the Hudson". He retired from that job in 2011, and he and his wife (also retired) moved to Kingstree in 2012. During the years 2007 to 2011 however, Joseph and his wife co-wrote and published a novel, Kissing The Underbelly, which was concerned with life in the inner city. The book's website is: www.kissingtheunderbelly.com.

In 2013, he suffered a life threatening gastrointestinal hemorrhage, and lost 75% of his blood in 48 hours. As a Jehovah's Witness, he refused a transfusion. He was transferred to McLeod Hospital for their Blood Conservation program. After intensive treatment, including a three
week induced coma, they managed to pull him through. He was written up in their in-house magazine as a miracle patient. He regained his health and became active in the Kingstree Jehovah's Witness congregation. He worked tirelessly for the next decade in the service of his
faith, until his health again failed him.

He is preceded by his parents and by an older sister, Betty Herring.

He is survived by his wife, Judy Millspaugh Anderson, MD, and by a sister, Sharon Anderson of Kingstree, and by six grown children and a niece and two nephews and by a host of grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as by numerous cousins. His ashes will be interred in a family plot in Philadelphia at a future date. There will be a Memorial Service at the Kingstree Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall, 51 Senior Rd., Kingstree, at 11:00 AM on Saturday, April 25, 2026.