In 1953, at the age of 10, Joe moved to Turlock, and never left. Joe’s service to the Turlock community began during his high school years, when he became a member of the Ports Auto Club, which held fundraisers to help sick children.

Joe was inducted into the Army on Sept. 8, 1966 and trained to be a wheel vehicle mechanic. He served with the Army in Vietnam in 1967-68. He was in the First Infantry Division, which is the division known as the Big Red One. He received a National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, an Army Commendation Medal and a Bronze Star. His last duty assignment was at Fort Baker, California.

In the early 1980s, Joe’s love of community branched to Turlock Youth Football. Joe served TYF for 24 years, both as a director and a coach.

In 2002, he received the Turlock Chamber of Commerce “Best of Turlock” Youth Involvement Award.

In addition to serving the youth of TYF, Joe served as a director and a member of Turlock Historical Society.

Joe was also one of the founding members of Fava Day, a charitable organization that raised money every May 9 for local children who were battling cancer from 1994-2019. In 2018, the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge recognized his contributions to Fava Day Kids by awarding him the George Washington Honor Medal.

Joe was a first charter member of the Valley Tractor Pullers Association. In the early 1980s, Joe presided over their first meeting ever, which led to the creation of the organization.

It must also be noted that Joe collected old rusty trucks, tractors and equipment from when he was a sophomore in high school until his passing. Four of his favorites made appearances under his business name, J.M. Fagundes and Associates, in local parades. Joe’s parade vehicles include the “Horse Car,” a 1922 Dodge, which has been a part of Turlock history and parades since the 1950s, a 1953 canned milk truck that was originally driven locally to pick up milk at dairies and deliver to creameries, a 1947 Dodge cab over, and a 1953 Dodge flat bed truck. Watching the excitement of children as they lined town streets waiting in anticipation for the bucking “Horse Car” was always a highlight for Joe. In the weeks preceding his passing, Joe was working hard to add to his parade fleet with a Grapes of Wrath style 1931 Model A that Joe baptized as the “Fagundes Family Cayucos Flyer.”

Joe is survived by his wife of 47 years, Regina, daughters Yvette Fagundes-Hall of Waterford, daughter Theresa Fagundes-Diener and husband, Justin, of Five Points, granddaughters Susannah Hall, Lillian Hall, and Rose Diener, as well as his sister Diulinda Daley and husband Jack of Surprise, Arizona. Joe also leaves behind many beloved nephews, nieces, great-nephews, great-nieces, cousins, and of course, an empire of rusty tractors, trucks and cherished relics of the past.