Thomas Francis Gehret

 Senior Municipal Court Judge, age 74, passed away peacefully on August 27, 2023. Tom was the dear husband of Terez Giuliana, the beloved brother of Robert (Maureen), Jane Rice (Michael), Frannie Cowgill (Joe), and Maryanne Mahoney (Michael), and the adored son of the late Dorothy and Thomas Gehret. He is survived by his stepdaughter, Grace Tarves (Darren Bell), his nieces, Sara Jane Rice (George Tindley), Melissa Cowgill (Al Fields), Amy Hand (David), and Jennifer Gehret, his nephews, Michael Rice and Brian Gehret (Dawn), and countless others he drew to himself. Tom, a true patriarch, leaves behind an extended family created by love. Tom served in Vietnam in 1971 and returned to the Wharton School at the University of Penn to complete his degree in economics. He got his law degree at Hofstra University and became involved in Philadelphia politics, serving as legal counsel in the office of the Register of Wills. Tom later became leader of Ward 40-B in southwest Philadelphia, where he rose to prominence as one of the top political advisors in the city. In 1998, Tom was appointed to the Philadelphia Municipal Court by Governor Ed Rendell, where he fought for truth, justice, and the American way until his retirement from the judiciary in 2022. A man of many interests, Tom was an excellent gin and poker player, having cashed in a World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas on his honeymoon in 2008. At home, he loved playing Scrabble, backgammon, and cribbage with wife Terez and Yahtzee with sister Fran. Tom’s annual Mancations with his college buddies to sites such as Normandy, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, and Cooperstown are the stuff of legend. Tom was a great patron of the performing arts and supported many local charities; memorial donations to the Helping Hand Rescue Mission at 6^th and Spring Garden Streets would be appreciated. Visitation on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 10 AM followed by memorial service at 11 AM at Storehouse Church, 1090 Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA.