Joel Budd

Joel Roger Budd, 77 previously from Brooklyn Park passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 23rd with family by his side.

He is survived by his daughter, Angela (Derek Pedlar), son James (Andrea); grandchildren, Alex and Bella; extended family, and many, many, friends.

Joe lived life to the fullest every day.  He gave everything to others and expected nothing in return except friendship, love, and a smile.  He was a ray of light who celebrated every day like it was his last and found a way to make the simple things extraordinary. 

Joe lived in Brooklyn Park for 23 years where he raised his children with his former wife Patricia.  He was known for his story telling (which got better with age), and his love for children, dedicating over 29 years of his life to teaching in the Mahtomedi public school system where he is remembered as the “favorite teacher” by countless students for his ability to relate to them in and out of the classroom.  Joe continued to work part-time after his retirement from teaching first at Lyndale Gardens where he helped others with his passion of flowers and gardening.  His last job was at North Memorial hospital where he was a greeter.  He made lasting impressions on patients, doctors and staff who recall being greeted by his smile first thing each morning as they entered the Oakdale building.  He followed Minnesota sports – especially hockey, and spent his Minnesota winters enjoying the Winter Carnival coming close to finding the golden medallion a couple of times.  In the summer he traveled to his “special place” at Lake of the Woods with his son and girlfriend to get away from the city life.  He enjoyed fishing at his mother’s secret fishing hole at Rocky Point where he caught many record walleyes – some that got away. Joe loved to swim and enjoyed Sundays at the pool with his daughter and her family, attending his grandchildren’s sporting events, and going to the movie theater to catch his favorite new romantic comedy.  He will be remembered for his great love of family which was the most important thing in the world to him. 

 Joe’s last years were spent at the Wellstead where he liked to play bingo, attend church on Sundays, and other outings to see plays with his friends.  He loved to sing and dance and participated in every sing-a-long he could.  He was known for spending much of his time in the main lobby where he would greet ladies with “hello beautiful” and tease that he was the “candy man” sharing his treats with anyone with a sweet tooth. 

Our family is extremely grateful for the wonderful care provided to him by the staff at the Wellstead and Brookdale hospice. Thank you for celebrating his life with us, and for loving our dad.

A celebration of life service will be held on Tuesday, May 28th at 7PM with visitation starting at 5:30PM at Dare’s funeral home, 805 Main St, Elk River.  Family burial will take place in his hometown of Roseau on Thursday, May 30th.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joel Budd, please visit our floral store.