Joseph Leonard Infausto
August 28, 1939 - April 18, 2022

Joseph Infausto passed away on the morning of April 18, 2022 in Fresno, California at the age of 82. He was born in 1939 in Los Angeles County.

Joe truly lived a full life with many years of service to his country, community, and family. Joe was also the embodiment of being "resilient". His early years were marked with obstacles that few others would ever have to face, however, these obstacles shaped his perspective and his desire to be successful.

He enlisted in the United States Army in 1956, although there is a rumor that he somehow figured out how to get in before his 18 birthday. He served in the United States Army until he was honorably discharged in 1962. During his time of service he was part of Operation Blue Bat, the 1958 Invasion of Lebanon, and contrary to popular media accounts, his Army unit was the first to land on the beach making way for the Marines that would follow (at least that is how he tells the story). During his time in Lebanon, he was wounded by an IED and transferred to Germany where he spent over five months recovering from his injuries.

After his service to our country, Joe truly had a diverse work experience. If you were in Vegas, he may have been a black jack dealer for you, if you attended rodeos you may have seen him bull riding or being a rodeo clown helping others stay safe, and if you were in need of a used car in Vegas, yup you guessed it, Joe may have helped you. He also tried his hand in Hollywood as a stuntman and extra for the old spaghetti Westerns. Yup, he looked a bit like Clint Eastwood, but we have no confirmation that he got to be his stuntman.

Joe began his career in law enforcement in 1970 with the Clovis Police Department Auxiliary Unit. In 1977, he received a Bachelor's of Science degree in Criminology from California State University, Fresno. That same year, Joe was transferred to the Fresno Police Department Reserve Unit where he served for thirty-six years.

As a reserve officer, Joe was a citizen volunteer who donated his time and energy to help make Fresno a better place. Throughout his law enforcement career, Joe received numerous commendations for his service and professionalism, including achieving the rank of Lieutenant in 1999.

Joe's dedication to the security of his community was not only exemplified through his service but also through the establishment of his small business, BESTEC Security in 1983.

BESTEC Security provided state of the art security systems and equipment to individuals and families throughout the Central Valley for 23 years. Joe sold the business in 2006 and continued to serve as a Fresno Police Department Reserve Officer. On May 22, 2014, Joe's record was read into the US Congressional record for his service to the Fresno Community.

Prior to leaving the Reserve Unit, Joe was assigned to the Mounted Patrol Unit, where he continued to carry out his duty to protect and serve the citizens of Fresno while on horseback. If you were at any events in Fresno, or shopping at Fashion Fair or River Park during the holidays, chances are you saw Joe riding "Mr. Ed" his favorite horse.

Amidst his many community service years, he met and married his wife Marsha, whom he loved deeply for over 40 years. He leaves behind Marsha, his brother David Infausto (and wife Helen), his children Jill Torres (and husband Marcos) and Luke Infausto, his stepsons Michael Wiechmann (and wife Jeannie) and Dennis Wiechmann (and fiance Erin Dolin). Joe also leaves behind many grandchildren: Kyle Torres, Koven Torres, Tanner Infausto, David Wiechmann, Jacob Wiechmann, Austin Wiechmann, and Trevor Wiechmann.

Joe enjoyed many activities and had many diverse experiences. Joe loved to dove and pheasant hunt, and looked forward to walking the fields with the dogs and shooting whatever the dogs could flush out. We do have a great story of when Dennis and Joe went pheasant hunting. They picked up Dennis' dog who was being trained at a kennel close to where they were going to hunt. About half-way through the hunt, they realized that they had "borrowed" someone else's dog…. which had just taken off into an adjacent field and was trying to gain his freedom.

He often talked fondly about his trip to Montana with his son Luke. Luke remembers, "how dad "Pops" taught me many things early in life, but the primary thing would have to be work ethic. He was not a lazy man! He made me the man I am today and probably didn't even know it! He will be deeply missed!"

His daughter Jill shares that "My dad means the world to me. One day stands out, when we took Dad to the zoo. We talked about it prior to the trip, and he was very excited about it and so was I. We got to the zoo and made our rounds. It was nice being as normal as possible for him. He was a trooper. He had to shuffle his feet because they forgot to give us the rest for his wheelchair. I would point out animals to him and he would finally see them. The highlight was when he saw the jeep by the lions and wanted to try to get in. There was a little boy and his dad by us and waited patiently for their turn. All the kids that day waved to Dad. It was a Valley Children's Sponsored Day. I got a cape, but Dad wouldn't wear it because he said to give it to one of the little kids and I did. On the way home he dozed off…. I love the adventures we made."

Joe had many wonderful experiences with Marsha. They traveled all over with their friends, Ron and Barbara Ross. He especially enjoyed the country music of Nashville. He really liked the trip to Hawaii with family and friends. Christmas was one of his favorite times of the year and he enjoyed decorating. He enjoyed watching the birds in the pond and renamed it Lake Kenosha. He was proud to be part of the Mounted Police Unit. He continued working as a volunteer after his retirement.

Sports were very important to Joe. He loved watching the Fresno State football and basketball teams, but his favorite athletes were his children. He watched them play many sports in high school and into adulthood. He was the first one up on sports mornings with his coffee ready to cheer them on. In his retirement, he continued this pastime with the grandsons, traveling all over to watch soccer, baseball, volleyball, band presentations, and triathlons. Joe went body surfing with them in Hawaii and fishing with them in Morro Bay. He loved attending their band performances, theater performances, and was proud to watch them graduate from high school and college.

He was very proud of serving our country. He made sure the flag was always displayed at the house. He was proud that so many organizations honored veterans.

One of the highlights of his life was going on the Central Valley Honor Flight in 2018. While he rarely talked about his service, or his injuries, he briefly talked about coming home from his service with little fanfare or recognition for his service. The Honor Flight changed all of that. For three days Joe and the other service members on the Honor Flight were treated as the heroes they were. Anytime he saw a veteran, he would tell them about the experience and how special it felt. He always wanted them to go so they had the experience he did. It is hard to express in words how special this trip was for Joe. For all those who took part, thank you. For all those who wrote letters, another sincere thank you. Joe may have been a "hard ass", but those letters and the Honor Flight brought many tears to his eyes.

Donations in Joe's memory may be sent to the Fresno Mounted Police , an organization very close to his heart:

Joseph Infausto
Celebration of Life
May 7, 2022
11:00 AM
Mounted Patrol Unit

Location:

Mounted Patrol Unit
4768 East Dakota Ave.
Fresno, CA 93726

Dakota Ave. between Maple and Chestnut
South on North Sierra Vista Ave.
First turn east into Mounted Patrol Unit

Reception Following the Ceremony

His interment will be at
San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery
32053 McCabe Road, Santa Nella, California 95322
June 24, 2022 at 11:00 A.M.