Thomas B. Force, longtime obstetrician and gynecologist, food cupboard volunteer, and ‘weekend warrior,’ has died at 90

Thomas B. Force, 90, of Rydal, a longtime obstetrician and gynecologist and dedicated food cupboard volunteer, died Sunday, July 31, from complications after a hip fracture at Maplewood Senior Living in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Dr. Force spent 34 years delivering babies in Northeast Philadelphia hospitals and served for 12 years as director of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Frankford Hospital. He was humble, and according to his family, he didn’t keep track of the number of babies he delivered because he didn’t want to take credit when he was a part of a team.

Born March 15, 1932, Dr. Force grew up in Juniata Park in Philadelphia. In second grade, he met Floramae Heuges. In eighth grade, they rode the same bus to their separate schools, sparking a romance. The two dated through high school. They went to different colleges — he to Bucknell University and she to West Chester University. They celebrated their wedding after graduating from college, beginning 69 years of marriage.

After college, Dr. Force went to medical school at Temple University, from which he graduated in 1957. He then served for two years in the Air Force, stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Ga. He had reached the rank of captain when he was honorably discharged. Dr. Force completed his obstetrics and gynecology training at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio, in 1963.

Dr. Force returned to Philadelphia, where he practiced at Northeastern, Jeanes, and Frankford Hospitals. He retired in 1997 after leading the obstetrics and gynecology program at Frankford.

The couple had two children, Debra and Thomas, who recall their father as a hardworking man who would dash out to deliver a baby at any hour of the day or night. Perhaps because he spent so much time at the hospital, he filled every spare moment of leisure time with fun, exciting activities that his daughter remembers fondly to this day.

“He loved doing things that involved speed and sailing,” said Debra Canuto of her father, whom she called “a weekend warrior.”

The family enjoyed vacationing at Lake Wallenpaupack in the Poconos, where Dr. Force would take out his Hobie Cat catamaran. “You could get a really long run with a sailboat if the wind was right,” his daughter said. “So that was fun.”

In addition to sailing and water-skiing, Dr. Force loved to travel. He and his wife flew together to Germany, Switzerland, Thailand, India, France, and England. He also loved music and often broke out in song at dinner, church, weddings — really any time he got the chance.

And in accordance with his love of speed, Dr. Force also loved cars.

His son remembered that they would go together every year to the Pocono 500 — starting with the inaugural race in 1971. “There were some times that Dad and I had that were just guy moments,” he said.

But at his core, Dr. Force wanted to help people. “‘What I went to school for was to help people,’” Thomas recalls his father telling him. “That has always stuck with me,” he said.

That passion wasn’t confined to medicine. More than three decades ago, Dr. Force started volunteering with the Jenkintown Food Cupboard. As the small charitable operation grew, he helped register donations and manage finances. In 2018, the board of directors of the Jenkintown United Methodist Church Food Pantry dedicated a plaque honoring Dr. Force’s 30 years of service. They wrote, “He was meticulous in his work, ever faithful to the mission and served with great integrity.”

In addition to his wife and children, Dr. Force is survived by his step-brother, Robert Ulmer, and two grandchildren.

A private burial will be at a later date at Forest Hills Cemetery in Huntingdon Valley.

Donations can be sent in memory of Dr. Force to the Jenkintown Food Cupboard, 328 Summit Ave., Jenkintown, Pa. 19046.