Coworkers, family and friends remember Nobles County Attorney Joe Sanow

Jul. 11—WORTHINGTON — When a motorcycle crash took Joe Sanow's life on Saturday, July 1, 2023, near Madison, South Dakota, Nobles County lost a respected, well-liked county attorney, and his family lost a dedicated, much-loved father.

"He was an amazing dad who really just put everything out there for his kids, and for me too. And I think that's really just been the hardest part — that he's not going to be here as our kids continue to grow up," said Joe's wife Lisa, speaking of their three children, Ellianna, Cobin and Truman.

Lisa thanked the community for its support, and for the many kind words she's heard from others about what Joe meant to everyone, including family, friends and the community.

"It was just amazing, because he was never one to toot his own horn, you know? So to hear those things was amazing," she said. "... the support and the prayers and the thoughts are very much well-felt too."

Braden Hoefert, deputy county attorney, who has taken over Sanow's caseload at the Nobles County Attorney's Office for the time being, also remarked on how supportive the community has been after the loss.

Hoefert recalled that when Joe came to the office, he handled the new position with grace and humility, with a listening ear and a desire to learn from others.

"I think that was really what made him such a good fit. He treated all employees here with the utmost respect," Hoefert said. In fact, Sanow had likened Hoefert to a partner in a law firm, and trusted Hoefert to handle criminal cases for the county the way he saw fit.

"That's just kind of the way Joe was. He was an easygoing guy," Hoefert said. "He wasn't going to come in and big-time anybody, and say 'I'm the boss here, I'm in charge now!'"

Hoefert also praised Joe's unique and witty sense of humor, but particularly singled out the way he cared about others.

"He was a caring person. He did care about the office and about the well-being of the employees," he said.

And Joe handled many child support, juvenile delinquency and civil commitment cases on behalf of the county. Those types of cases are about directly helping people, whether it's acting in the best interests of a child, keeping a child safe from a harmful situation or enabling someone struggling with a mental health crisis to get help.

"Everyone who knew Joe and worked with him has reached out in one way or another to offer their condolences or support," Hoefert said. "... it is nice to see the respect that everyone who worked with Joe had for him."

Nobles County Administrator Bruce Heitkamp, too, echoed how helpful and friendly Joe was, often lending legal expertise when asked — even if it wasn't really in his job description.

"I think he was really good at so many different areas of law, and again, he was just so personable and willing to help when anybody in the organization reached out for assistance, and that was the one thing that really stuck out to me about Joe," Heitkamp said.

Joe attended most meetings of the Nobles County Board of Commissioners, offering legal opinions and helping sort out the sometimes-confusing procedures around motions, votes and meeting requirements. He had a wide breadth of knowledge, and when he didn't have an answer immediately, he proved a skilled researcher, finding answers and bringing them back to questioners in a reasonable amount of time, Heitkamp said, praising Joe's speedy research skills.

"He had such good common sense. Sometimes you run into relevant matters where maybe an agreement doesn't allow for a common sense approach and he would have a very good... answer to how to come to the common sense approach and the common sense answer," Heitkamp said. "And he was heavily leaned upon and very much a trusted source of information. He was respected."

Associate Justice Gordon Moore of the Minnesota Supreme Court, who served as Nobles County Attorney from 2003 to 2012, met Joe in 2019.

"I had a number of conversations with Joe about the job and the responsibilities about being the county attorney," Moore said. "He had a really calm presence in the courtroom and in the office, and an easygoing personality."

Joe had done some work in the public defender's office prior to his time in Nobles County, and was able to bring that perspective with him as county attorney, Moore said. The last time he saw Joe was when the county attorney was arguing a case before the Minnesota Supreme Court — one Moore had recused himself from.

"He did really well. He handled himself with a lot of poise... Joe really did a good job there, both in his briefing and in the oral argument, and I remember just seeing the confidence... he had frankly grown into the job since the last time I'd seen him," Moore said.

He, too, commented on Joe's easygoing personality, his great sense of humor and his ease in talking to others, noting that he'd been involved in the community as well.

"He was very well-liked in the court system. He will be missed," Moore said. "It's a big loss for the legal profession in southwest Minnesota and a huge loss for his family, obviously. We all feel just a little bit diminished because he's no longer with us."

"He was great in every aspect," said Nobles County Commissioner Justin Ahlers. "He knew criminal prosecution, he was great with planning and zoning. He was a great attorney. He was a good friend. He was a nice guy."

Ahlers praised Joe's down-to-earth attitude, his common sense and his great knowledge of the law.

"He was just a great guy in every way. We were so fortunate to have him, we were so lucky to find him — and now he's lost," he said. "Thoughts and prayers to his wife and kids, because what we're going through is nothing compared to what they're going through."

"I've only worked with him for a year and a half since I started being a commissioner, and he did an awesome job, I think," said Commissioner Bob Paplow, noting how outgoing and knowledgeable about the law Joe was. "He will be missed dearly."

"We've had nothing but positive interactions with Joe and thought he did a great job with enhanced public safety in our county and we're going to miss him," added Rock-Nobles Community Corrections Director Jon Ramlo. "And we hope for the best for his family and friends."

"He was very good at what he did and he'll be sorely missed," Heitkamp said. "And we wish everybody, his friends and family, the best."