Joshua was born September 4, 1979 at Valley City, ND and grew up at Fingal, ND, and attended and graduated from Maple Valley School.

He was a skilled carpenter but could do almost anything.  A true jack of all trades, he loved working with his hands.  He worked on cars, was an artist, and was a pretty good pool player.

He had a kind heart that he shared with his family and friends.  Almost anyone who met him and came to know him loved him.  His passing leaves a large void but the friendship and love of those friends is a great consolation to his family.

Survivors are his parents:  Bradley Ertelt and Sally (Menge) Simonson; children: Kaiden, Jade, Ashton, Bentley, and Dalton Ertelt; grandparents: Connie Ertelt and Marilyn Menge; and siblings: Sabrina (Ertelt) Greenwood, Russel Frederick, Justine (Simonson) Peterson, Jewell Simonson, and Kendra (Ertelt) Stenslund.