Thomas F. Gehret, political leader, retired Philadelphia municipal court judge, and community advocate, has died at 74
He sat on the bench for more than two decades. “He was known for his generosity, his kindness, his sense of humor,” a friend said.
Thomas F. Gehret, 74, of Philadelphia, retired city Municipal Court judge, popular local political leader, longtime lawyer, and community advocate, died Sunday, Aug. 27, of respiratory failure at Lankenau Medical Center.
Reared in Southwest Philadelphia and a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, Judge Gehret embraced and impacted his community from the time he was a 23-year-old soldier in Vietnam in 1971 to his retirement as a judge in 2022. He was a ward leader in Southwest Philadelphia in the 1980s and ‘90s, and legal counsel for the city’s register of wills and Philadelphia County Orphans’ Court from 1984 to 1998.
He was appointed to Philadelphia Municipal Court by Gov. Ed Rendell in 1998 and heard thousands of tragic cases about fatal train derailments, police misconduct, murders, robbery, and other crimes. He also officiated at dozens of weddings and was retained as a municipal court judge in five elections between 2002 and 2017.
“He always knew what he wanted to do,” said his wife, Terez Giuliana, “and that was to be of service to the community. He valued justice and redemption.” He was, his family said in a tribute, “a raconteur with sharp political instincts.”
Away from the courtroom, Judge Gehret contributed countless dollars and hours of assistance to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission on North Sixth Street, various food banks around the region, and other community outreach projects. He paid for Christmas parties at recreation centers, funded fledgling neighborhood activists, and was especially adept at connecting like-minded people in the service of those less fortunate.
Success and joy, he said often, were meant to be shared. “He was just a warm human being who cared about and took good care of his friends, his family, and strove to make the world a better place,” said longtime friend Rob Charry.
Another friend said in an online tribute: “Tom loved his family and his city.”
Thomas Francis Gehret was born Nov. 14, 1948, in Philadelphia. He graduated from John Bartram High School, won a Mayor’s City Scholarship, and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics at Penn.
He was drafted into the Army, rose to corporal, and served a year in Vietnam. He went on to receive his law degree at Hofstra University in New York and worked at first as a law clerk in Commonwealth Court.
He met Giuliana online in 2001, and they married in 2008, and lived in Roxborough. They exchanged wedding vows in his courtroom on June 21 and were profiled in The Inquirer’s “Love” column two months later. “I always told him, even if we never married, I would stay with him because this is the best relationship of my life,” she told The Inquirer then.
Judge Gehret enjoyed Scrabble and other games that required both smarts and luck, and he won big in the World Series of Poker on his honeymoon in Las Vegas. He followed fantasy sports leagues and had season tickets to Penn men’s basketball games.
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He threw memorable parties in North Wildwood and traveled the country on unforgettable “mancations” with college buddies and other pals. “He never lost a friend,” his wife said.
He played silly practical jokes whenever he could and went out of his way to make his family smile even as his health declined. He liked to watch Hallmark Christmas movies and spend romantic three-day weekends at theaters and restaurants in New York with his wife.
“His heart had a gravitational pull,” she said.
He was recognized by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 2021 for his military service, and his younger sister, Maryanne Mahoney, remembers crying when he left for Vietnam. “I slept with his [high school] yearbook open under my bed and would tell him about my day and kiss his picture good night,” she said.
“Military service instills discipline and a sense of accomplishment which can benefit you in any future career.”
His personality, friends said, was like “a warm hug.” His niece, Sara-Jane Rice, said: “He gave and gave and asked nothing in return other than that we love each other as much as he loved us.”
“He was,” his wife said, “magnificent with a most beautiful heart.”
In addition to his wife, sister, and niece, Judge Gehret is survived by a stepdaughter, a brother, two other sisters, and other relatives.
Visitation with the family is to be held Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 10 a.m. at Storehouse Church, 1090 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. 19462. A service is to follow at 11 a.m.
Donations in his name may be made to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission, Box 37005, Philadelphia, Pa. 19122.