Joseph William Belperio died on February 24 at the age of just 58. As the owner of Shimazu Antiques, a firm established 34 years ago, Belperio was a respected antiques dealer of Japan’s Meiji art and his firm was well represented at 20′5 antiques fairs each year throughout the United States. The absence of Joe at his usual booth in the March Arts of Pacific Asia Show left a pall over the show, his missing voice and helpful presence a palpable void, according to his associates.

While Joe first was attracted to Japan’s fine netsuke carvings, cloisonné, Satsuma and metalwork soon became his benchmarks. He had a strong following of loyal clients and, as one prominent colleague noted, “Joe was the archaeologist of Meiji art dealers. If anyone could unearth a Meiji treasure anywhere in the world, it was Joe.&•

Joseph Belperio was the beloved husband of Mary Murphy Belperio, son of the late Eugene and Irene Belperio, father of Melissa Hall, Lauren and Trinity Belperio and the stepfather of Glenn, Lauren and Kristen McCleery. His special joys were his grandchildren, Owen and Delaney Hall and Mia Belperio.

As his elder daughter, Melissa, said, “He had so many more memories to be made with his wife and family, more trips to be traveled, more marvelous dinners to share with friends, more antiques to sell, more noise to make at the Eagles games and more walks with his beloved dog, Sakura.”

His children speak of their father as a “man of faith” who made positive changes in his own life and who affected in positive ways those around him. Together with Mary, the two formed a strong bond of love and spirituality, resulting in the sobriquet, jokingly referred to in the family, as their parents, “Joseph and Mary.”

Memorial donations may be made to Atlantic City Rescue Mission, PO Box 5358, Atlantic City, NJ 08404 or www.acrescuemission.org .