Obituary of Joseph De La Cruz Casarez Jr

Joseph De La Cruz Casarez Jr., 69, passed away Sunday, November 29, 2020. He is preceded in death by his father, Joseph Casarez Sr.; mother, Carmen Johnson Casarez; and his loving wife of 31 years, Sherry Casarez. Left to cherish his memory are his sons, Joseph Casarez III, and Chad Chumley (Heather); daughter, Ariana Casarez; brothers, Angelo Casarez (Kim), and Waldo Casarez (Patty); sisters, Esperanza Casarez, Corrine Turner (Spencer), and Theresa Casarez; grandchildren, Zakary Casarez, Asia Casarez, Rian Casarez, and Calley Chumley; great grandchildren, Zavier Casarez and Azaylia Casarez; and a host of other family and dear friends. Joseph was born and raised in Clovis, New Mexico. He proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps. After serving in the Marines, Joseph returned to Clovis and continued to serve his community as a Police Officer with the City of Clovis. Later in life, he became a counselor to help veterans dealing with substance abuse. Joseph truly had a servant’s heart. He was a wonderful provider and very protective of his family. Joseph was the oldest of the six siblings in his family, and he was most certainly the one everyone looked to for guidance or advice. He and Sherry enjoyed traveling and finding new and exciting places to explore. He was strong in his faith and felt it had a calming effect on him throughout his life. Joseph was affectionately known to his grandchildren as “Grandpo or Grandpa Joe”. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him. In lieu of flowers, the family requests you make donations to the Bob Woodruff Family Foundation, which specializes in helping service members with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury and/or The Companions For Heroes charity, which connects service members and law enforcement struggling with PTSD with service animals.