Our loving grandfather, father, and husband, Joseph Anderson, was born to the late Eva Mae Murphy Johnson and the late Jeronimo Cone on April 13, 1943 in Jacksonville, Florida.  Minister Joseph departed this life on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.

Baba Joseph graduated from New Stanton Senior High School in Jacksonville, FL, enrolled in acting and singing lessons in New York City  where he also auditioned at the Apollo Theatre in 1968 for the production "Listen, My Brother."  While auditioning and performing for the African American Folkloric Troupe, Anderson met his soul mate Gail Angeline Caesar, who hailed from Winston-Salem State University. They married and raised Jolaibo, Jomo, Sonji, and Karim.

While acting and singing in New York,  Baba Joseph also began modeling for the New Breed Manufacturing Company founded by Jason and Mable Benning.  This organization popularized the dashiki and designed clothes to fit the contours of the African American male and female bodies. Anderson became the New Breed singer for the organization.  What is more, Caesar and Anderson auditioned and were selected to perform for Barbara Ann Teer's National Black Theater Company around 1968.  After recording songs with Heide Records and Budda Records in the early 1970s, the Anderson family decided to relocate to Winston-Salem, NC in 1975.  They established The Healing Force Ministries, and they traveled to various states in America and to several African countries to share and learn cultural and spiritual knowledge.  For more than 47 years, The Healing Force traveled and performed as citizens of the world until Mama Gail passed away.

God blessed Baba Joseph to meet Dr. Felecia Piggott-Long when she was performing in  the North Carolina Black Repertory Company's production of Black Nativity.  They  joined Union Baptist Church where they served as associate ministers, youth Sunday School teachers, and leaders of the Drama productions in the church until they were called to pastor Alpha and Omega Church of Faith.  They were married in  July of 2020 at Alpha and Omega Church of Faith. Together they participated in the Triad Cultural Arts city-wide Kwanzaa celebration, Juneteenth celebration, and the International Black Theatre Festival.  They presented a workshop called African American Village Consciousness; Reynita M. Blake, Anderson's stepdaughter, assists with the workshop.

Minister Joseph  Anderson leaves to cherish his memory, his wife Dr. Felecia Anderson; his children, Michael (Christins), DeWayne, Lawrence, Jolaibo, Jomo (Brenda), Sonji, Karim,  and Reynita (Rodney) Blake; his in-laws, Benjamin, Marcia, Ronald, and the late Kermit Piggott; his sister, the late Loretta Lucille Armstrong Allen, Dr. Brenda Anderson Green, Schree Tomasa Anderson Gary, Revondalyn D. Galvin, the late Johnny Ennis Rod Coleman, Larry Leroy Armstrong, Andre Tyrone Mungin, Bernard Antonio Nixon, and Darrell Bethay Nixon.

A viewing will be held from 1:00pm until 5:00pm Wednesday, September 10, 2025 at Russell Funeral Home.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00am Thursday, September 11, 2025 at Union Baptist Church. Interment will follow in Piedmont Memorial Gardens. The family visitation will be held from 10:30am until 11:00am on Thursday at the Church.