Joseph Daniel Phelps, 92, of Brainerd, formerly of Thief River Falls and Fargo, passed away November 18, 2019 after a brief stay at Quiet Oaks Hospice Home in St. Cloud.
Beloved patriarch of his family, advisor, fisherman extraordinaire and friend, Joe was born October 7, 1927 in Minto, North Dakota to Harold and Mary Jane (Johnson) Phelps. He was a standout football player at Fargo High School, graduating in 1944.
Joe enlisted in the Navy in 1945 and served in WWII, decommissioning as a Seaman First Class from the USS R.P. Leary Destroyer. He went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a degree in Business Administration and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Joe enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1951, serving in the Korean War as a Second Lieutenant Tactics Instructor at Fort Knox in Kentucky. He married Rita Fraley the following year, who he had met at the University of Wisconsin, beginning a relationship that spanned 55 years. The family lived in Fargo until 1968 where Joe farmed in Ardoch, North Dakota and worked with his brother and father selling farm real estate.
Joe and Rita moved to Thief River Falls in 1968 to raise their family. While there he became a farmland realtor, broker, appraiser and land manager, owning Phelps Farm Sales from 1968-1983. He loved his work and the many hours visiting with farmers at their kitchen tables, continuing to manage and sell properties into his 80s. As he always said “Do what you love. And if you do, it’s not work at all.”
Joe and Rita moved to Brainerd in the early 1990s to be closer to family and spend more time at the cabin on Leech Lake, which his parents established in 1934. He was a member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brainerd for many years with his wife Rita, who passed away in 2007.
A legendary fisherman, Joe spent his summers on Leech Lake, fishing with his siblings as a young boy while his mother rowed the boat. He learned where and when to always catch the biggest walleyes, trolled on sunset evenings with Rita as he grew older and went on to teach his children and grandchildren that life was never better than when holding a fishing rod.
Joe spent countless hours cutting and schlocking wood, building fires in the fireplace and telling stories. Joe enjoyed investing and following his stocks, figuring out thought problems, turning interesting pieces of wood into lamps, tables and pieces of art, reading historical biographies, watching sports of all types, buying and selling antique skates, and happy hour with family at Leech Lake at 5 p.m.
Above all, Joe was dedicated to family, including Stevan (Diane) of Olympia, WA, who died in 1999; Brian (Carol) of Brainerd who passed away in 2011; Paul (Tracy) of Eagan; Joyce (Tim) of Goodhue; and Todd (Molly) of St. Paul. He taught them the importance of respect, responsibility, doing what you love and – above all – cherishing family.
Also, as Joe told anyone he met (in great detail), his 13 grandchildren were “all winners;” and as for his seven great grandchildren, he would simply shake his head with a smile and say, “Not so sure about them yet, too early to tell. But they sure have a lot of energy!”
It is not too early to tell, however, what legacy he leaves behind. He will be remembered for his flannel and wool shirts, his laugh, wisdom, honesty, gentleness, patience and kindness. Joe Phelps will be loved and deeply missed by not only his entire family, but all who knew him.