Mugrdich and Zartar (Kandarian) Topoozian lived on the family farm located on Central Avenue near Malaga in Fresno, California.  They both immigrated to America from Kharpert in the late 1800's.  They had a large family which started with Edna, Harry, Lucy and Hazel.  On July 9, 1924, Joe was born, and was delivered by mid-wife Mrs. Surpoohi Dermoian, who lived next door.  Just a little over two years later, Bobby was born, also delivered by Mrs. Dermoian.

The Topoozian/Kandarian families were very active in the church which played an important role in their lives.  Joe's grandfather, Khach Amoo Kandarian, and uncle, Joseph Kandarian (whom Joe is named after) along with Mugrdich were all founding fathers of and helped build St. Gregory Church. His uncle, Mark Kandarian, directed choir and played the organ for many years, as such, singing in the choir was a must for all the Topoozian children.

Joe graduated from Fowler High School in 1942.  Prior to that, when Harry was inducted into the Army in 1941, Joe had the responsibility at the young age of 16 to work the family farm before and after school. After high school, Joe wore many hats – different than the farmer's vented cap that he was known to always wear! He was a farmer, and was in the trucking business with his brother, Harry – Topoozian Brother's Trucking.  He hauled grapes to Gallo Winery and loved to tell the story of meeting and talking with the Gallo brothers, Ernest and Julio.  He also loved to share with everyone what exactly goes into wine (it's not just grapes!), as a cautionary tale for those to not drink.  But the colorful stories didn't usually stop people from enjoying a glass now and then.  For 18 years he was also a partner in the family business of Freeway Lanes bowling alley in Selma, where he took on many roles including bartender and bowling instructor.  After he sold his farms, he often worked for his brother, Bobby, as well as seasonally working at Jim Hutchings Custom Harvesting and Simonian Fruit Company.

For the majority of Joe's life, he lived on the family farm.  He married Eleanor Collier in 1973 where they lived next door to his mother and sister, Hazel, while his brother, Harry lived on the other side.  Bobby's house was within a stone's throw too.  During much of his 25-year marriage to Eleanor, his nephew and niece, Robbie and Renee, would often be found at their house.  Joe was always present in their lives.  During that time, Joe and Eleanor traveled every year, loading up their RV or camper and headed East on usually a month's long journey.  In 1998, Eleanor succumbed to cancer, leaving Joe to live alone for the first time in his life.  During that time, he returned to St. Gregory Church and resumed singing in the choir.  It was no coincidence that his spot to stand was right behind Ruby Tateosian, a long-time friend of the Topoozian family, and best friend and often travel companion of Joe's sister, Hazel.  Joe began dating Ruby, which was the talk of the town.  Three towns, actually – Fresno, Fowler and Selma!  On October 14, 2000 Joe and Ruby were married, in the very church that they both grew up in, beloved St. Gregory Church.  Joe and Ruby enjoyed many adventures traveling through the US, especially to Branson, Missouri, being one of their favorite spots.  For the first time, Joe was taking cruises, and even flew in a plane – something he said he would never do.  They continued traveling cross-county by car and RV, stopping to shop as often as they could for Ruby.  One of Joe's claims to fame is that he has sat on every bench in every shopping mall in America thanks to Ruby.  Sadly, Ruby passed away on September 8, 2023, just a month short of their 23rd wedding anniversary.

Joe was very blessed to be surrounded by his loving family for his entire life.  One of his cherished pastimes was to tell stories about family events.  A favorite was the "pacha dinner" prank that he and Bobby pulled on their father's friends, where they put cut up pants in their mother's soup.  Another is about the Peerless touring car when his father was the first to jump out of the car, while Joe took the steering wheel at age 9 and drove through a dairy man's fence.  There was also the time when Bobby, with Joe's assistance, nailed a board across the double opening of the outhouse – perhaps the start of Bobby's career as a contractor?  He also shared many stories about his boating ventures with his and Bobby's boats, Toper I & Toper II.

Joe also had many friends in his life, that dated all the way back to his school days.  Even though he liked to pretend he wasn't social, everyone knew better.  In his younger days he served as the chairman of the St. Gregorian Club, later renamed as ACYO, as well as the chairman of the Fresno AGBU Intermediates.  He sang in the choir for over 70 years, was a member of Men's Forum, and a member of Knights of Vartan for over 60 years and was the oldest living member.  For the last 25 years he had been a pillar at St. Gregory helping in the kitchen and barbecuing for the annual Father's Day picnic.  He also enjoyed having coffee, before the roosters crow, with his lifelong friends including Sam Esraelian and Richard Hagopian.

Joe peacefully passed away surrounded by loved ones on March 28, 2024.  While he did not have any children of his own, he did have 2 stepsons and 4 grandchildren from those stepsons.  Joe is also the proud uncle of 4 generations: 11 nieces/nephews; 31 great nieces/nephews; 28 great, great nieces/nephews; and 2 great, great, great nieces/nephews.  Plus, one nephew, two nieces and a great nephew on Ruby's side, for a grand total of 76!

Joe was the last of his siblings to survive.  He was a beloved member of the Topoozian, Kandarian and Tateosian families.  He left a lasting imprint on everyone's hearts, and will be deeply missed.