Richard O. Joseph, Jr., who helped manage the family real estate business, an outgrowth of the once-ubiquitous family supermarket chain, and was a dedicated supporter of the church his grandfather helped found, died Thursday of ProMedica Ebeid Hospice Residence, Sylvania. He was 70.

He developed complications of a myelodysplastic syndrome, his wife, Cherie, said. He learned in January, 2016, that he had the condition, which according to the MDS Foundation website, affects the bone marrow’s ability to produce healthy blood cells.

Mr. Joseph was a managing member, with cousin Craig Joseph, of Joseph Bros. Co. LLC, which owns and maintains shopping plazas and commercial property, mostly in the Toledo area. He also was a leader in Joseph Bros. Realty.

“He was very analytical and wanted to study the deals and wanted to understand all the numbers,” said his cousin, son of the late George Joseph — who with his late siblings Phillip, Richard O., Sr., and Oscar, had roles in the family businesses.

“He read the leases inside and out,” his cousin said.

Craig Wolfe, a longtime friend, said: “He was consistent and he was real and what you saw was what you got. People trusted him, and rightfully so.”

Mr. Joseph also was an owner and president of Joseph’s Beverage Center on Talmadge Road. He didn’t work in the store, but from Christmas Eve through New Year’s Eve, a high-traffic period for the beverage center, he’d stand by the door and direct customers.

“He got the biggest kick out of that, because he got to meet and greet everybody,” his wife said.

His grandfather Oscar Joseph, Sr., opened the first family store in 1929 on Lagrange Street. His sons developed the business into a chain of 16 Joseph’s supermarkets, usually as an anchor in a shopping plaza built and owned by the family real estate business.

That family legacy was important to Richard, Jr., his cousin said.

“The Joseph name is relatively prominent in the community, and he wanted to maintain that name,” his cousin said.

The family sold most of the supermarkets by the late 1970s and later closed the rest.

His grandfather Oscar Joseph was a founder of St. George in North Toledo, and his father, Richard, Sr., in the early 1970s was co-chairman of the building committee for what has become St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in West Toledo.

Mr. Joseph sang in the St. George choir and served on the parish council. He and his late mother, Helen, commissioned an artist to install an icon of St. George at the cathedral, his wife said.

“He carried on the tradition: The church was No. 1 in his life,” his wife said. “He was a tenor and had a beautiful voice and sang at weddings and funerals.”

He was born Sept. 24, 1946, to Helen and Richard Joseph and still lived in the home where he grew up. He was a 1964 graduate of Maumee Valley Country Day School, where he played football. He remained close to his classmates.

“He was the most beloved member of our class,” said Sandy Blackstone Carman. “He was always concerned genuinely about everyone’s welfare. Because of his sincere concern, everyone thought they were his best friend. That’s an unbelievable trait.”

Mr. Joseph had a bachelor’s degree in English from DePauw University and a master’s degree in business from the University of Toledo.

His father died April 6, 1978. His mother died May 2, 2009.

Surviving is his wife, the former Cherie Assally, whom he married Sept. 6, 2014. The couple met in 1989.

When planning their wedding reception, “he said he wanted to have the biggest party for his friends and family. He said, ‘I don’t want it for us. I want it for them,’” his wife said.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday in St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, where visitation is scheduled from 2-5 and 6-8 p.m. Monday and after 10 a.m. Tuesday. Trisagion prayers are to begin at 7 p.m. Monday in church. Arrangements are by Walker Funeral Home.

The family suggests tributes to St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral in Toledo or ProMedica Hickman Cancer Center, Sylvania.

Contact Mark Zaborney at mzaborney@theblade.com or 419-724-6182.

First Published August 6, 2017, 4:00 a.m.