Jerry Lopilato, known as a wonderful father, devoted husband and a well-known Massachusetts antique dealer, died at Emerson Hospital after a long battle with heart and lung disease. He is survived by his wife Betty, four daughters and a son, five grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. Jerry was 85 years old.
I have personally known Jerry for more than 30 years. Jerry was an icon at many auctions. As a teenager growing up in the business during the 1970s and 1980s, Jerry was a fixture at almost every antique auction north and south of Boston, a fixture at The Old Cambridge, Hubley’s Auctions, Skinner’s, McInnis’s and many more.
Our friendship extended over many years. He was my friend, loyal customer and mentor. From the time I first started in the auction business, Jerry shared his vast knowledge with me and taught me a lot about the trade. Jerry was a dealer’s dealer, old-fashioned and low-key. He never owned a computer, never advertised and to him a cellphone was “just a pain in the ass!”
He opened his first shop in Arlington, Mass., during the mid-1950s †Tom & Jerry’s Antiques †with his brother. They began taking pianos South and eventually moved into New England formal and Victorian furniture. His brother died young, but Jerry vowed to carry on. Always a gentleman, the dealers loved him.
His passion for antiques was unsurpassed. He had a keen eye for paintings. When I was 20 years of age, back in the 1980s, and just starting out on my own, he sold me the contents of one of his warehouses. He required no payment up front, and said, “John, make payments to me as you sell the items.” That was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship. Jerry would always stop by the gallery in Amesbury, sometimes just to talk, go to lunch and often would have a group of items from his collection to sell. During the last 20 years he had a shop in Westford, Mass., and also worked from his home in Stow, only a few miles from Skinner’s in Bolton †he thought the world of Bob Skinner.
Jerry told great stories of the early years in the business and the older auctioneers in Massachusetts. One of my favorite stories is when he ran into Bob Skinner before he built his gallery in Bolton. Bob was telling him about the land in Bolton he was looking at and how much he could buy it for, and Jerry said to Bob, “You better buy it, or I will.”
Jerry will be remembered as a fair and honest dealer. A tough businessman he was, but always there for people in need. It was an honor to be his friend. I know he will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues. John McInnis
