One of the many, many things I remember and love about Josh is his love for animals and his gift of silent communication with them. His easygoing manner and his gentle smile made all dogs want to snuggle with him. Our dog Biggie (pictured here in June '08) thought Josh was the best human big brother EVER. And Josh had an ability to calm him and commune with him that was uncanny. Such a pleasure to watch them together. 
What do you love about Josh? 
38 comments:
I remember Josh as a quite, polite and well manner young man. He was always so kind to my son and to the parents. Josh was so discipline about his routine,even when he was spending the night in our house. Josh was such a man with a character and he always encouraging to others.
We love you Josh!
Sinta Campaldini
Josh was quiet and well mannered, but I also remembered a very competitive side to him. We would have bible talks at the Anderson's house on Friday nights and in their basement they had a plastic basketball hoop that the kids would like to play with. Josh would run, jump yell and get all sweaty playing with the other kids. That is the Josh I like to remember. Smirk and all.
Ryan Rondorf
Josh had braces for a while and he would usually smile with his mouth closed. I especially remember that in our wedding pictures. But once the braces were off, he would flash this big white grin. It was so handsome. That is the image I will always remember.
I met Josh on a road trip to DC in 1999. Josh was in the first cabin for which I had the privilege to be a counselor for. He was a great kid and my condolences and prayers go to his family. Jon Stone
I loved Josh's gentle spirit. Every single time I saw him in Georgia when he visited Tyler or at their wedding... he was such a sweet soul! So kind, warm and genuine.
Saturday was extremely moving. Tim, Sue, Tyler, Em, Lauren, Gillian... you all did an incredible job with the whole thing. I know everyone there will be forever changed by this whole thing and by the celebration of Josh's life yesterday.
Constantly praying for you all.
Jenni Clemens
I barely knew Josh. But he had one smile that the halls of South Lakes will never forget. Ever. It doesn't matter if I knew him a whole lot, or just from the halls. What matters is that everyone here cares. He will never be forgotten. RIP. I love you!
The Anderson kids were so much apart of my life and I will never forget those memories. My fondest memory was making dances with Lauren and Julian; Josh would chime in every chorus of "Big Willie Style". I just want the Andersons to know what kind of an impact they had on me and my family and that if they ever needed anything, we would be there too.
We Love you guys,
Erica Whalen
Josh was the kind of guy who didn't need to say anything to make you feel better. Whether you had a problem or just needed someone to give you a smile he was the guy who know matter what would step up. I remember one day where I was just completely out of my element and Josh came into the class room and sat right down next to me and smiled, and began to open just a quick minute conversation, that was the first day i realized what a great guy he was. He will always be the guy who helped me make friends at school, and i will forever miss him. He changed so many lives, and i believe that he will continue to do so through his memory. I miss you josh.
everything.
Josh was in my Latin class at school and he sat right behind me. I remember how funny and awesome he was. He was always there to help me with something if I didn't understand what we were doing. He was my partner for a conversation we had to wright in Latin and we needed illustrations. He drew both of the people we needed to draw and it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. He was so talented and will forever be in our hearts. I miss you Josh. Love and peace to you and your family.
I will always remember his smile, he always seemed to have one on his face. He had to be one of the nicest boys, no one ever had anything negative to say about him. I was also envious of how he could sleep through math and still get better grades than me. I wish i had the chance to get to know him better. He was loved and will be missed, and he will be in our hearts forever.
I love how Josh was so sweet, and everyone was friends with him. He was so nice to me when i first met him, and i had so much fun with him in class, i never heard a mean word from him. He would always liven the class, and make things fun, even if they really weren't. He was always smiling.
josh was so calm and cool and just plain talented! he's a tough guy to keep up with in anything! anything! it was always so fun playin with him on xbox live, if he wasnt busy playing with all those friends from Va! I remember having fun with all the anderson kids in the basement up in nj way back when. Josh was also the only other member of the biological little brother club at Tyler and Emilys wedding, although I'm not sure what that meant to us :P
i love you guys tons, and my thoughts, hopes, prayers, and deepest condolences are with everyone blessed enough to know a great kid like josh.
-Luke Taliaferro
I can not think of anything that I did not love about josh. Words that come to my mind when I think of him.
Sweet, nice, caring, amazing, happy, smart, joyful, football, lacrosse, a friend to anyone, fast food (well any kind of food actually!) and most of all smirk. Everyone who know Josh knows exactly what I am talking about. When i close my eyes and think of him i see it. I can't believe he is gone physically but he will never leave my heart, or any heart of his friends. It would be impossible to forget such a sweet and delightful boy.
I love you Josh Anderson
Anderson family: You are in my thoughts and prayers every night and day.
Josh was an amazing guy. I'm missing him already. I remember every time I would look over at him across the room in class, he would be asleep. I would envy him because every time I would sleep I would get caught. He was very sweet and he has taught me treat people a little nicer. I will never forget you Josh. You will always be in my heart.
-Lena
Josh was truely one of a kind. Thats what gets me all choked up too. I remeber when he came over for our birthday dinner. I invited Jooooshua, Blaynger, Drake, Big Fili, Corey, Duffski, Eric, and Rachael. It was a good night because even though I did'nt know Josh as long as I would have liked, we still got to celebrate our Birthdays together. Even though i was a day older I was always looking up to that dude.
It's just soo damn hard to think about his absence from all the potential fun. I am happy that there are FAR more good memories than bad.-ONE LOVE, RIP MY DEAR FRIEND.
Everytime I saw Josh he was smiling, whether it be he was Rachael or just hanging in the hall with his friends. He was a very smart kid. He always slept in Geosystems but always managed to maintain at least a B. He was a really nice kid, and I never heard say bad thing about anyone. Josh was loved and still is. And will always be in our hearts.
josh was a good friend of mine, i loved that even whenever a problem arose, josh would find a solution or just face the problem with a smile on his face. Nothing could ever wipe the grin off of his mug, he was the best. I miss you josh, R.I.P
i had several classes with josh and he really made them enjoyable to go to. he always had a joke to tell and was a great work mate. he will greatly missed.
i remember when my mom would drop me off at your house Tim and Sue, and we would run around the house doing random things, and playing video games. we got so good at golden eye not even tyler could beat us. But what i remember the most is playing with legos with Josh and making things like subs and planes. He was always quite but would come up with all these great things, and when he finished, compared to my crappy design, he would give me the smerk and say "Thats COOL!" haha...
Also when we played Halo all the time and we would laugh at the most funniest moments, and when tyler would just humble me in playing. From teaching me how to make paper footballs and exchanging stories of games, to just following me around the house, I will miss Josh sincerely and will never forget him. I just wish we got one more game in and one more talk in. God bless Andersons, and much love lil bro. Hopefully you found the peace you looked for...
love,
Travis Cramer
so i really do think i was a little bit jealous of how smart Josh was. It amazed me how he could answer every question correctly even though he slept all class! By the middle of the year i just convinced myself that he trained himself to hear things while he was getting his beauty rest, which was unneeded by the way because he really was a beautiful kid. But that's why i'm convinced now that he can hear everything we're saying. We all love you Josh, we will forever miss you, and never forget you.
I loved his little smirk he'd always have. I remember playing football after school, with like andrew, blane, cory, spencer, duffy, and a couple other kids, and I'd always love having Josh on my team, cause he would do damage. HaHaHa! Josh was one of the greatest guys I knew. He was always real with people. Not once had i ever seen that kid get mad. Not Once! Man josh, geosystems is not gonna be the same without you my man. I'm gonna really miss you. You were such a cool kid. You'll forever be in our hearts bro. Much Love to you and your whole family.
- Boris Kozeli
JOOOOOOSHUUA!! You remeber how we'd do AANOLD Schwarzenegger impressions all the time. 'AHH GET OUT OF HERE!" some good time, and when you'd laugh like cleveland from family guy. No doubt though I'm going to miss the Ace Ventura impressions in 5th pd. its too bad your not here physically, but mentally and spiritually your everywhere you ever wanted to be, especially in those hearts that you cared for, and those that cared for you. It will undoubtedly be tough for all of us, "A thousand mile journey starts witha single step"-Lao Tseu. Its actually really great because you'll be with us all as we make our first and last step of the journey. We will meet again, somewhere over the rainbow. And we'll laugh and talk up a storm.
ONE LOVE, ONE HEART RIP-your almost birthday buddy Spencer
our prayers are with you and your family JOOOOOSHUUA
I met Josh his second day at South Lakes I remember Josh as one person that I could say whatever I thought, be completely uncensored and he would always reply with that smile we all knew and loved on his face. He was so humble and loving. There are a lot of things I wish I could tell him, but if there was one thing I could tell him, it would be that I appreciated the time I knew him and all the times he accpeted me for who I am. And that whatever I do now has to be twice as good because I'm living for another person now. I will never ever forget you Josh.
Josh and I met last year when my family moved into the area and he was such a nice guy. Although we weren't best friends, we definitely had a good time whenever we rode the bus. He had this knack for making people smile and he seriously was the nicest person on the entire bus. When I was notified of Josh's death my heart sank and I've had so many sleepless nights just thinking about what I could have done differently, however, I know that ultimately Josh is in a better place. It just breaks my heart to think that he's gone and even worse he's my neighbor so driving past the Anderson house will be a challenge. But in the end I want Josh and the Anderson family to know that they had an amazing son, a son that ALWAYS knew how to brighten my day. I really am shocked about this as is everyone else, but my heart goes out to the Andersons. May God's peace be instilled on you for the years to come and just know that Josh is watching over you. I miss you Josh Anderson, you will be missed greatly.
-love always
MB
Its hard not to laugh to myself when I think of Josh. We had so many good memories growing up together. I love a ton of things about Josh, and thinking back to the old days, I don't think I honestly ever saw Josh get mad. His humility and calmness overshadowed any conflict, and he always made the situation into a light, and often, funny one.
So many times the old NOVA gang got together, Josh was the youngest, but he always seemed to display his leadership. Whether it was playing basketball, lacrosse, or Halo together, Josh was a leader.
I respect Josh a lot and hope his decisions won't be a tarnished stain in his truly pure character. Josh will be greatly missed, always have a place in my heart, and never forgotten. The gang will never be the same.
Your brother,
Derick Anies
What i admired most about Josh was for the past twelve years that i have known him; he always stuck to his real true colors. He was always so sweet, laid-back, comforting and real. I had the biggest crush on him all throughout elementary school. Even when he transfered to Great Falls I would always try to see him and bugged Lauren with questions every time she came over to babysit. My mom always told me she loved it when i would hang out with Josh. She told me that he was a guy of such good values and would be a good impact on me. I liked Josh so much when i was little that everything he said i made sure to pay attention too. The biggest thing he taught me growing up was not to get mad and fight with people as much as i used too. Every-time i would get in a fight; he was always there for me and told me if i was wrong. Over the summer a bunch of people were over at Claires house. I remember Josh came up to me and we started cracking up about all these stupid fights i got into. We both kept listing more and more stories and i realized how much he helped me change my view. Today I am able to truly forgive people for past mistakes and realize i'm not always right in every fight. He was such a genuine person who would help anyone out. The thing i think i loved most about Josh is that he never changed. Especially in middle school and high school people loose themselves and their values of how to treat people change. Throughout middle school and high school I never heard Josh say one thing that could really hurt someone. He was one of the funniest friends i had and he was able to be funny without talking bad about people. I try my hardest to never do that and to keep those values and i sometimes mess up. Josh didn't even need to try because its not how he thought; he was just a truly sweet person. I went to guidance on Friday and i was talking about how he cared so much for people and how no one ever had anything bad to say about him because he was so genuine. My guidance counselor started tearing up and she said i didn't really know Josh but i've had so many students come in here today and they said exactly the same thing you did. Josh always comforted me, i could always trust him, and he had all the qualities that people think of when they talk about angels. I know josh is in heaven and he will be able to comfort and welcome us when we join him. I'm sure he can receive all our love and prayers and we will always have the amazing memories that we had with him.
I love you forever. Katelyn Hartnett
Josh in kindergarden extravaganza: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5O7nHBG9rs
Katelyn,
Sweetie - thanks so much for posting this video of the Josh in the program. I had forgotten about this. It made me cry and then laugh. Thanks so, so, so much!
Josh and I were connected through football, it was where I first met this wonderful kid. We've been playing together since since 3rd, when the pads were too big for our bodies. Every single year from then on, we played middle linebacker, side by side. I knew he would always be there to make the play I couldn't, and that extends off the field as well. He was always there for me, and always had my back. He was the best friend anyone could ask for. We would always partner up in drills, and tell each other where the play was going so it would be easier. Everytime he told me, he had that patented smirk on his face which brightened up those 3 hard hours on the field. He made practice fun. I see him not only as the great friend, but as a great leader, player, and teammate. I plan on wearing his number next season, and playing in his honor. I will miss him forever.
-Austin Pritchett
Josh was warm, sweet, endearing, gentle, kind, considerate, funny, smart, patient, compassionate, loyal, devoted, well mannered, welcoming, charming... just a few of the things I love about Josh.
I remember sitting around the dinner table at the Andersons & all of us laughing about the word bulgogi.
I remember Lauren & I playing tickle monster with Josh.
I remember Josh as Joshie, like a little brother to me.
Jessica
I don't even live in Virginia any more. I moved a few months ago, but when my little sister told me about Josh, I immedietly remembered who exactly he was and everything about him. I ran to get my yearbook and sat there in pure shock for a few minutes. I still can't believe it. I've known him (not well) for so long, it was such a shock. I went to school with Josh since elementary school, and his death makes me rethink everything I've thought about my own life and other people I know, and how I can make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. Goodbye Josh, you didn't know me, but I hope you rest in peace.
Although I did not know Josh well, he used to be in one of my classes freshman year. Though I hardly knew him, many of friends say that Josh was a great person. I am sad that I did not get to know Josh, however, from what I remember of him from class, he was a funny, laid-back guy who had many, many friends. He will be greatly missed by the community. My prayers are with the Andersons.
I don't even know where to begin. In our family, Josh and Melissa (my younger sister) were the babies of the family being only a month and a half apart. They were the two at the end of the line when it came time for pictures and the kids had to line up according to age. Pretty soon, these pictures began to change because Josh began to grow and pretty soon he was taller than both Melissa and Gillian. I just remember being amazed that in a year Josh went from being a boy with braces who wouldn't smile to a handsome guy with the greatest, most warming smile.
One thing that I loved about Josh was that he always knew how to make me laugh. He was just a fun kid to be around. Our family reunions on the Cape were always full of joy and happiness, especially when Josh would crack a smile or say a side remark that sometimes only I would hear.
He was also always so chill. After Tyler got married, Josh was the only boy cousin around when we all got together but that never seemed to bother him. He would just go hang out in the hammock or lounge chair, listening to his music and playing with Bengi and Buddy.
I will always remember Josh as my little cousin, with his big smile and easy going personality. I love you Josh.
Aunt Sue, Uncle Tim, Tyler, Lauren and Gillian - I love you all and wish I could still be with you right now. I pray for you everyday and you are always in my thoughts.
Erin Anderson
Our first memory of Josh is of a little boy in a McLean Mustangs uniform. A football coach's dream...Anderson, Clubb, and Pritchett on the team and everything else falls into place - it just doesn't get any better than that. Every season, every single game was the BIG game. We all taped every play, laughed, tailgated and most of all loved watching the boys, especially Josh. He only got better and stronger as he grew up. Freshman football - the best season for the gang- undefeated! Josh's sophomore year he was asked to come play with varsity. He was a force of nature on the field, always intuitively right where he needed to be. He 'felt' football, more than he played it. We love Josh as a son and will miss him more than words can say. Sue & Tim - thank you for letting us have him in our lives. We will think of Josh often and will never tire of watching him play football in all the tapes and highlight films of his career. Our love and prayers for the Anderson family. Becky & Steve Pritchett
I remember Josh as the friend that could alwyas brighten up my day, and someone that would alwyas have my back. I first meet Josh in Mr.Mills 3rd grade class in Forestville, and the funny thing is he never changed from the day I meet him. He was always the laid-back and happy kid that I will always remember. I felt so honored to become close friends with him this past year, and especially in the summer where some of the best memories ive ever had with him ever came. I'm looking outside my window right now where my pool is, and i just remember all those times i had Josh,Elspeth, and Natalie over to swim and just hang out while we laughed at the sumbiest stuff. Also, when we set off firecrakcers with Elspeths dad on 4th of July weekend. I will never forget the time Shawn had all are families over for dinner, and we just watched hours of TV in the basement while having a great time. I also went forget homecoming night sophmore year were we watched movies all night long at Kiffe's till bout 6 o'clock in the morning haha.Last day of school sophmore year when Josh had me,Val, and Natalie over will def go down as another cherishable memory because I remember just talking about life while we were setting by the pool, and now i realize, what life really is about, thanks to you Josh. My faorite memory in football was on kickoff against Oakton JV, Josh knocked the opposing helmet off of a Oakton player because he hit him so hard. He was was a excellent competitor, gifted athlete, wonderful leader(on/off the field), and on a more personal note, a wonderful friend. I will never forget you Josh, and just know i considered you one of my closiest and dearest friends, and im so sad your not here with me anymore, but im glad your in a better place. I'll see you when i get up there buddy.
Josh, I loved the fact that when Bryce was with you he was the happiest I have ever seen him. From the time you were little boys I just loved to hear the two of you laugh! I would smile and say to myself...."what a wonderful sound." The kind of laughter that makes others around you join in and you just can't help yourself. I hear you laughing....as a little boy...through the years and even last summer at Bustin's when you guys laughed and laughed and laughed. I had not seen Bryce that happy since he saw you at Spring Break. Thank you for the wonderful memories...soooo sooo many memories..but thank you for the laughter you brought to my life and to Bryces life. I hope one day to hear you two laugh again.
I love you and miss you so much Josh...Roxanne
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