Joseph Michael Kidder, age 52, passed away on Friday, December 6th, 2024.

Joe was born on March 23rd, 1972 to John David and Diane Lynn (Estebo) Kidder in Belvidere, Illinois.

At five years old, Joe and his family moved from Illinois to northern Wisconsin. Joe was raised on a dairy farm in Shell Lake, Wisconsin. He was the second son out of five boys. Growing up, Joe developed a love for cows and living life on the farm. He found peace in driving tractors and spending time outdoors.

While living together on the farm, Joe and his brothers thrived, and created an unbreakable bond. There are countless stories between Joe and his brothers in regard to their escapades on the farm. One thing all the brothers can agree on is that the spoons found in the Schwan's ice cream container at the bottom of the freezer were all put there by Joe.

Joe had three daughters. Joe’s oldest daughter Sydney was born in February of 2001. Right after the birth of Sydney, Joe went out and bought a shotgun. Joe was terrified and had no idea how to navigate raising a little girl. Despite his worry, Joe was perfectly made to be a girl dad. Sydney was in love with playing dress up and Joe was right there letting her paint his nails and allowing her to crown him with tiaras. As time went on, Joe introduced Sydney to hunting. Joe loved nothing more than waking Sydney up at four in the morning to drag her out into the woods. He made sure to keep pictures of her asleep in the tree stands. At first it was all fun and games until Sydney surpassed Joe on the buck board, which Joe was immensely proud of. Sydney and Joe bonded greatly when it came to hunting, and they always had dreams of owning plenty of hunting land with a log cabin.

After Sydney, came Noa in January of 2004. When Noa arrived, Joe thought he had some training under his belt when it came to little girls. Noa was able to give her father a run for his money. Noa found a love for milking cows, a love she acquired because of her dad. As soon as Noa could walk, Joe had her outside tending to animals. Joe applauded Noa on how resilient she is. Along with farming, Joe and Noa were always tending to projects around the house. Joe taught Noa carpentry skills, and the two of them were always coming up with new ideas. Magic would happen when these two put their brilliant minds together. Noa and Joe had their own connection when it came to being the middle child, and Joe made sure Noa was given plenty of attention. Noa is still referred to as, “Little Joey”.

In April of 2005, Cameryn was born. Nothing could prepare Joe for “The Missile”. Cameryn is independent, strong willed, and a force to be reckoned with. Joe loved that about her though, and Cameryn would say she acquired those skills from her father. Joe was always calling his brother Andy with new Cameryn stories. The unbelievable stories usually began with Joe saying, “That Cameryn”, and the two brothers would be laughing the entire time. Joe’s favorite thing about Cameryn was her persistence and strength. Joe loved going to all of Cameryn’s sporting events, and could always be heard cheering for her in the stands. In recent years, the relationship between Cameryn and Joe became powerful. Cameryn was a part of the church Joe attended, and they grew together side by side with Jesus. Joe commended Cameryn for the commitment she had made with the Lord, and made sure to tell everyone about it.

Several years after raising three daughters, Joe was promoted to Grandpa. Joe was ecstatic when he found out he was having a grandson. Clark came into this world in October of 2019.

Grandpa Joe was always the first to offer to watch Clark at any given moment. Even when Joe was working, he would take Clark to hog farms and would walk him around the barns he was building. Clark admired his grandpa, and would come home to mom recounting the adventures he had in Iowa. Grandpa Joe was the first person ever to take Clark on a tractor ride. Clark was able to catch his first fish with Grandpa Joe, and now Grandpa's Little Buddy has turned into an avid angler. Grandpa Joe also gets to take credit for introducing Clark to peanut butter cups, his favorite candy. Clark always knew where Grandpa Joe kept his stash. Joe was impressed with the women his daughters were turning into, but it was even more exciting to see who Clark was turning into with the help of his three girls.

Joe always said he had many flaws, yet if you ask his children, they will all say he was the closest thing to perfection. He believed in the Word of God, and tried living the Word to the best of his ability in any situation. Joe was heavily involved with the First Baptist Church located in Forest City, Iowa. He admired the children in the youth ministry and developed many connections in the men's ministry group. Joe found tranquility in the Bible and looked to the Lord’s Word for answers when life threw him curve balls. Many people question God when life gets tough but Joe always said, “this is God’s plan for me.”

Joe’s kindness never ended at the family tree. He constantly was extending a lending hand to anyone who needed it. No matter what the situation was, Joe was there fixing the problems of others or assisting in finding a solution. Joe had an extremely large heart and felt everyone's pain around him. This was just one of his many admirable qualities.

Joe is survived by his three daughters Sydney, Noa, and Cameryn Kidder, grandson, Clark Kidder, father John Kidder, and four brothers, David (Beverly), Andy (Janelle), Ben (Ingrid), and Jared (Em). He is also survived by 11 nephews, five nieces, and one great nephew. He is preceded in death by his mother, niece, and grandparents.

Joe’s visitation will be held at the Spooner Wesleyan church on Monday, December 16th, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. This will be followed by a service noon and burial at Greendale Cemetery to follow.

Online memories or condolences may be left at www.bratley-nelson.com

Last Update: Dec 10, 2024 10:22 am CST