Jack B. Katz, longtime attorney, workers’ rights advocate, and food bank volunteer, has died at 67

Jack B. Katz, 67, of Philadelphia, longtime attorney, workers’ rights advocate, and tireless food bank volunteer, died Sunday, Feb. 26, of acute respiratory distress at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

Mr. Katz spent decades as a workers’ compensation attorney for the law firm of Sagot & Jennings, now Jennings & Sigmond, and he represented countless clients in cases that often determined how they would live the rest of their lives. He worked closely with unions and other employee groups, and helped publish a comprehensive handbook on workers’ compensation issues.

“He loved helping people,” said his daughter, Rose Gobeli. “For him, it was always more than a job. It was about the people.”

One friend noted Mr. Katz’s “heart of gold” in an online tribute, and a workers’ compensation judge who served with Mr. Katz said: “He always had a smile on his face and kind and funny words for me and everyone else he was around. … I’ll always remember Jack as a great guy with deep humanity.”

Another former colleague said, “He wanted to do anything he could to help everybody.”

Mr. Katz worked at first in the Philadelphia solicitor’s office defending the city in workers’ compensation cases. He did his job so well that he was recruited by Sagot & Jennings to switch sides and defend its clients.

After he retired in 2015, he dedicated much of his time to Philabundance and other local food banks. He prepared and supervised activities at the distribution centers and often provided visitors with more than bread and butter.

He used humor, music, and an innate sense of camaraderie to put people at ease and make them feel welcomed and accepted. “People were attracted to his humor, his cheer, his kindness,” his family said.

Jack Bernard Katz was born in Philadelphia on May 6, 1955. He graduated from Chestnut Hill Academy and, naturally interested in those around him, studied psychology at Syracuse University. But his father, Philadelphia judge Leon Katz, nudged him into the law, and he graduated from Temple University Law School, now the Beasley School of Law.

He met fellow attorney Eileen Giordano at Temple, and they married in 1980. They had daughter Rose and son Jordan and lived in Philadelphia and Voorhees.

Mr. Katz loved music, and he made it a soundtrack to his everyday life. He was known to play songs by Hall and Oates and other favorite musicians as he cruised around town in his convertible, and he often set up speakers at food distribution sites to entertain visitors and staff.

He even met fellow Philadelphian Todd Rundgren, his favorite singer and songwriter, after one of the many concerts he attended.

He enjoyed walking Ali, his French bulldog, around his Fairmount neighborhood and made friends easily, many of them for life. He doted on his children and two granddaughters, and routinely wore jackets and sweatshirts that featured the name of their teams, schools, or workplaces.

“It was not hard to like him and to admire him after seeing him with his family,” a friend said in a tribute. His son said: “He taught me how to show up for your family. He taught me that a man is a man because of who he is, not what he has.”

Mr. Katz followed the Phillies closely and made it south to Florida every year for a decade with his daughter to see the team at spring training. He also traveled to the Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Mexico, St. Thomas, and elsewhere.

“He’s one of those people who you could truly say never had an enemy,” a friend said in a tribute.

His wife said: ”Jack will forever be remembered for his love of his family, his enjoyment of the deep bonds of friendships, and his unwavering belief in his duty to give back to his community.”

In addition to his wife, children, and granddaughters, Mr. Katz is survived by a sister and other relatives.

A celebration of his life was held March 2.

Donations in his name may be made to Mount Zion CME Church Food Pantry, 701 Felton Ave., Sharon Hill, Pa. 19079.