Joe Leslie Pederson went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on June 17, 2025. Joe was born on April 27, 1941, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Albert Pederson (deceased) and Faie Slater (deceased).
As a child, Joe attended North Side Assembly of God Church, where he was saved and baptized. While in high school, he played baseball for three years and graduated from Tech High School in June, 1959. He played semi-pro baseball for one year while working his way through college. He graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington in 1965 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. Joe took graduate courses at Texas Christian University while working as an accountant for Texas Electric Service Company. He later joined a public accounting firm, and while there, passed the Certified Public Accountant exam and was licensed as a CPA in 1967.
He married the love of his life, Sheila, on September 3, 1964, and they began a lifelong journey of love, happiness, and togetherness. Their relationship embodied the scriptural command that the two become one. They had two wonderful children, Vicki Pederson Seelye, and Brian Pederson. Joe joined the Army Reserve in 1966, serving six years, and served his active duty at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 101st Airborne Unit. He was trained as a machine gunner on a helicopter and received commendations as a sharpshooter. As a member of the Fort Worth Junior Chamber of Commerce, he served as Director of Miss Fort Worth Pageant for two years. He moved his family to Plano, Texas in 1974, when he became a partner in a CPA practice in Dallas. The Practice grew from four employees to thirty-five employees before Joe left in 1990 to start his own private CPA practice. Joe was a member of the Texas Society of CPAs, American Institute of CPAs, and Dallas Chapter of CPAs. Joe was regularly active in community service, volunteering as Treasurer of the Plano Geriatric Wellness Center for seven years, and coaching youth sports (baseball and soccer) for many years.
Possessing a keen sense of humor and a playful, and easy-going personality, Joe was well-liked by all who knew him. He had a dry wit, and loved to make people laugh. He enjoyed playing golf on occasion, loved snow skiing, and one of his favorite hobbies was deer hunting. He spent many days at his deer lease each winter. He also enjoyed other sports and all outdoor activities, but his favorite thing was spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren, who adored him and called him "Pop" and "Poppy".
God blessed Joe with a servant's heart, and he was always eager to help those in need. He was a member of a local Baptist church, where he served as a Deacon and Trustee for over thirty years, and Chairman of the Board of Deacons for four years. He also taught children and youth Sunday School classes for over thirty years, and served on the counting crew, in the outreach ministry, and the prayer team. He was always willing to help at the church and do what was needed, and he headed up the usher team for many years. He is a current member of Hunters Glen Baptist Church in Plano, where he also served as a deacon, usher, and provided security at Vacation Bible School.
Joe honored God with all he had been given. He realized that God had given him everything he had achieved in this life. All of us in his family have been infinitely blessed by him and will be eternally grateful that God gave us the opportunity to share our lives with this amazing man. The examples set by Joe's life, his wisdom, kindness, gentleness, meekness, patience, concern for others, his great work ethic and high integrity are a legacy left to all of us, and to all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.
He will be missed greatly by his loving family, but we look forward to the day that we will see him again in Heaven. His survivors include his wife, Sheila; daughter, Vicki Seelye and husband, Shawn, of Allen, Texas; son, Brian Pederson and wife, Marcy, of Rockwall, Texas; seven grandchildren, Sydney, Carson, and Maddox Pederson, all of Rockwall, Texas, and Savannah, Cameron, Parker, and Katelyn Seelye, all of Allen, Texas; sister-in-law, Lynda Richards, of Fort Worth, Texas; niece, Lesa Bankhead and husband, Richard, of Azle, Texas; nephew, Justin McAdams and wife, Melissa, of McKinney, Texas; and many friends.
A funeral service will be held at 2:30 p.m., Monday, June 23, 2025, at Hunters Glen Baptist Church of Plano, 4100 Custer Road, Plano, Texas, 75023. Following the funeral, a procession will make its way to Ridgeview Memorial Park, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013, for a committal service. The family will receive guests during a visitation from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. before the funeral service begins, at the church.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to Hunters Glen Baptist Church, the Imagine Initiative.