Columbus, OH — Joseph A. DeFrank Jr. (DeFrancesco), 87, of Lake Pleasant, N.Y., died peacefully at home on Dec. 12, 2020.

He was born in Holley N.Y., on Aug. 27, 1933, to Joseph Sr. and Florence DeFrank. He was a proud member of the U.S. Army and a 50-year member of the American Legion Post 529 Holley, N.Y.

He is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Beryl; children, Greg (Beth), Doug (Betsy), Michelle (Mike) Goudreau, and Terri (Gary) Fanton; grandchildren, Shelly (Samantha) Goudreau Jr., Jamie Fanton, Dani Fanton, Nicala Visscher, and Scott (Tiffany) Visscher; great-grandchildren, Noah Goudreau, Taryn Fanton, and Korban Goudreau; and siblings, Madelyn Welsh, Dale (Ellen), Scott DeFrancesco and Todd. He was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Shelly Goudreau; daughter, Beverley Visscher; and siblings, Gary and Roger (Kathy) DeFrancesco.

Beyond the racing world, his main priority was his family which he loved wholeheartedly. Mr. DeFrank and Beryl loved gardening and cooking together. They spent their retirement years enjoying the beauty of the Adirondacks, from their lovely home Butternut Hill in Lake Pleasant. From the garden came many vegetables and herbs to complete the home cooked pasta dishes the family enjoyed so much.

He fell in love with harness racing at Batavia Downs and that is where he met his mentor and lifelong friend, Don D’Andrea. In 1956 Don recommended to the late Hall of Famer Jim Lynch, that Mr. DeFrank be given a chance as an assistant in the race office at Hilliard Raceway in Ohio.

That 40-day “gig” was the start of a long career that took him to the race offices at many other tracks, including Baltimore Raceway, Green Mountain Park, Grandview Raceway, Painesville Raceway, Northfield Park, Windsor Raceway, Freehold, Brandywine and Ponce DeLeon. He was hired by the late Delvin Miller to help start The Meadows in 1963.

In 1976 general manager Bob Quigley and hiring chief Jack Feketie were on the hunt to staff a newly-built east coast racetrack with rising stars and the sharpest racing minds they could find. Mr. DeFrank was director of racing at Windsor Raceway and Quigley came calling with the offer of the same position at the new racetrack located across the Hudson River from New York City; The Meadowlands, which came under the auspices of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

Mr. DeFrank took the job and convinced several of Windsor’s up-and-coming drivers to relocate as well — Lew Williams, Shelly Goudreau, Greg Wright and Ray Remmen among them — along with a young driver named John Campbell, who along with Mr. DeFrank fast-tracked to eventual induction into harness racing’s Hall of Fame in Goshen, N.Y.

While at The Meadowlands, Mr. DeFrank created innovative stakes and early-closers as well as $100,000 claimers, events like Million Dollar Babies and the internationally renowned Statue of Liberty Trot. His legacy includes high-priced races such as the Meadowlands Pace and Woodrow Wilson, both of which offered purses of more than $1 million. The Woodrow Wilson purse reached as high as $2 million, the most ever offered in the sport. He was also instrumental in bringing the Hambletonian from the Midwest to the Meadowlands, where it has been raced since 1981.

In addition to his duties at The Meadowlands, when Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J., opened in 1985, he was named director of racing. One of the major races he brought to that track was the 1988 March of Dimes Trot. The field included the North American star Mack Lobell and foreign standout Ourasi, with the event turning out to be what many consider to be the sport’s greatest race ever.

He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994, with presenter Stan Bergstein, a former race secretary himself, noting, “I realized quickly and instinctively that he was going places. I simply underestimated how far he was going, how fast he was going, and how impressively he would get there.

“No one in our business has mastered his craft more completely, elevated its power and stature, introduced more new ideas, commanded more respect or ruled with such absolute power as the man we now honor.”

Throughout the years he received many awards, including the Good Guy of the Year in 1991 by the U.S. Harness Writers, and in 2001 was given the Van Lennep Award by the Hambletonian Society which honored his talent and innovative style for the sport of harness racing which he loved so much.

Relatives and friends are invited to call from 12-2 p.m. on Saturday (Dec. 19) at the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Home, 628 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. A funeral home service will be conducted following calling hours at 2 p.m. A private interment service will be held in the Spring at Lake Pleasant, N.Y.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation (Parkinson’s research) or The Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame, Goshen N.Y.

Online remembrances may be made at www.burkefuneralhome.com.