Thomas J. Garvey, retired Philadelphia police officer and former manager of Atlantic City’s Ocean Club, has died at 85

Thomas J. Garvey, 85, formerly of Philadelphia, a retired police officer who was born and raised in Fairmount, died Tuesday, March 5, in Palm Harbor, Fla. The cause was a head injury after a fall.

Mr. Garvey was a longtime police officer in Philadelphia who served as president of the Fraternal Order of Police between 1980 and 1982, a post in which he negotiated to secure fair labor contracts. He also served in the Pennsylvania State Police and the U.S. Army Reserves.

After leaving the Philadelphia police force, Mr. Garvey took on various jobs, mostly in private security. For many years he was the general manager of the Ocean Club in Atlantic City, and he ran his own private security firm. He was also part owner ofa travel agency and worked as an executive recruiter.

Mr. Garvey briefly worked for former Philadelphia Eagles owner Leonard Tose as his personal security. It was one of the lifelong Philly sports fan’s favorite jobs because he could watch games from the owner’s booth. After retirement, he moved to Clearwater, Fla., where he lived close to the Phillies’ spring training practice fields. He and a group of friends attended spring training games together every year.

Mr. Garvey was never afraid to speak his mind, no matter whom he spoke to, said his son, Thomas Garvey Jr.. One story he loved to tell was about the time Elvis Presley canceled a scheduled visit to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children at the last minute. Mr. Garvey, who was on the hospital board at the time, had heard from his police contacts that Presley had been partying all night. So when Presley’s manager called, Mr. Garvey insisted on speaking with the star directly — to curse him for skipping out on the kids.

An avid traveler, Mr. Garvey was an eternal optimist who loved meeting new people. His favorite destinations included Croatia, Istanbul, and Thailand. His hobbies included singing Frank Sinatra and other crooner music, listening to Bob Newhart’s comedy albums, and seeing live music. His favorite comics were George Carlin and W.C. Fields. Mr. Garvey loved to laugh and find humor in everything, his son said.

Over the last decade, he embarked on five cross-country train trips from Florida to Washington to visit his family, stopping in Las Vegas and New Orleans along the way.

“He would go out to listen to music in Seattle,” said Garvey Jr., who lives with his family in Washington. “He would get back when everybody was asleep — Pop Pop at 84 years old, knocking on the door at 2 a.m.”

His next planned vacation was to be in Alaska, with his family.

Mr. Garvey had a close relationship with his grandchildren and he loved to share music with them. A fan of The Voice, he let them know which singers he rooted for. “He would get songs up on everybody’s Spotify to listen to [someone’s] covers, and my children would roll their eyes,” said Garvey Jr.

Garvey Jr. once worked with his father as a valet in Atlantic City. He was struck by how much the staff liked his father. “Whether it was the valets, the front desk, the concierge, they had great respect for him,” he said. “I’ve had people tell me, ‘Your dad’s my hero because we should all be [adventurous] like that.’”

Always eager to try new things, Mr. Garvey took writing classes and wrote multiple manuscripts in his later years.

He often told his children that he wasn’t sure he would live long, saying, “I’d rather burn out than rust.”

Mr. Garvey was born Oct. 13, 1938, in Philadelphia, to Thomas Joseph and Teresa Garvey. He graduated from what is now SS. John Neumann and Maria Goretti Catholic High School and attended Temple University.

He later married Catherine Garvey. The couple later divorced, but remarried — unofficially. Garvey Jr. says the family cannot find a record of it.

Besides his son Thomas, Mr. Garvey is survived by four other children, five grandchildren, and other relatives. His older brother Joseph Garvey died earlier.

The family will host a celebration of Mr. Garvey’s life at 11 a.m. June 22, at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5, 11630 Caroline Rd. #3, Philadelphia, Pa. 19154.