Johnny Quik co-founder Ernie Beal dies at 79 in Clovis

Ernie Beal, the co-founder of Johnny Quik Food Stores whose work touched Fresno State, Reedley storefronts and horse barns in Clovis, died May 28 at his home in Clovis. He was 79.

His son, Trevor Beal, said the cause was complications from Alzheimer’s disease, and that Beal died surrounded by family. The death closes a local life that stretched from a childhood near Munich, Germany, to some of the most familiar business and civic institutions in Fresno County.

Beal was born Dec. 8, 1946, and came to the United States in 1956 with his mother, brother and stepfather. After graduating from Garden Grove High School in 1965, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and sent to Vietnam. There, his precision and efficiency led to an assignment as a general’s aide, and he earned a Bronze Star.

After returning home, Beal worked for Stop-N-Go and became the company’s youngest district manager. He later partnered with his brother George to build Day & Night Markets, a chain that grew to about 20 stores before being sold. Day & Night Markets says the business was founded in 1973 and opened its first store in Reedley, a detail that places Beal’s retail roots squarely in the Central Valley. He later founded Johnny Quik Food Stores, which spread across the region and became a recognizable part of daily life for drivers, commuters and families stopping for gas, snacks and quick errands.

Beal’s impact reached far beyond convenience retail. Fresno State athletics says George and Ernie Beal donated $500,000 to the Save Mart Center project, and university president John D. Welty announced the gift. The Beals also supported local schools, student scholarships, youth activities and United Cerebral Palsy of Central California, and Beal regularly attended Fresno State events.

Outside business, Beal built Beal’s Quarter Horses in Clovis in 1983, turning it into one of the area’s premier equine operations while also running cattle businesses. A memorial service is set for Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 6:15 p.m. at Beal’s Quarter Horses, 13179 E. Bullard Ave., Clovis. For many in Clovis and Fresno, Beal’s name will remain tied to the stores, the arena, the school support and the ranchland that marked his place in the county’s civic life.