Anthony J. DeFino, 86, Phila. court judge

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Retired Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Anthony J. DeFino, 86, who made his mark in the judiciary but never strayed far from his South Philadelphia roots, died Sunday, Nov. 24, in a fire at his home.

The fire was reported at 7:07 p.m. at the judge's three-story house near 20th and Porter Streets. The one-alarm blaze was under control by 7:41 p.m., said Capt. Clifford Gilliam, a Fire Department spokesman.

The judge was found in the living room on the first floor. His wife, Rose, escaped the fire and was hospitalized in stable condition, Gilliam said.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation by the Fire Marshal's Office, Gilliam said. The judge was the city's 22d person to die in a fire this year.

The cause of death was unclear pending the completion of an autopsy, said Jeff Moran, city Health Department spokesman.

Hours after his death, friends and colleagues remembered Judge DeFino as a consummate gentleman and jurist.

"He was a respected mentor in the legal profession, a touchstone for so many who aspired to the law, and a treasured friend and colleague to countless lawyers, judges, and public officials," said Kathleen D. Wilkinson, chancellor of the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association.

Wilkinson praised Judge DeFino as exemplifying what she called the finest ideals in a jurist - strong character, sound judgment, and professional commitment.

Judge DeFino, 86, served for 19 years before retiring from the bench in 2007. Lately, he served as a legal consultant to District Attorney Seth Williams, helping young prosecutors polish their courtroom skills and acting as a liaison between the judiciary and the District Attorney's Office.

"He loved being here," Williams said Monday. "He loved being part of the energy, and he considered himself part of the City of Philadelphia up until the end."

As soon as he heard about the blaze, Williams, who has known the DeFinos since 1981, went to the fire scene Sunday night with his family to offer support.

"This is devastating to my family, my kids," Williams said. "We loved the judge like a member of our family."

Raised on East Passyunk Avenue, Judge DeFino graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 1946. He served in the Army and, on his return, earned bachelor's and law degrees from Temple University.

He was admitted to the bar in 1956 and was appointed to the Common Pleas Court bench by Gov. Robert P. Casey in June 1988.

Judge DeFino was elected in November 1989 to a 10-year term. He became a senior judge in 1997 and served for 10 more years in Common Pleas Court's Major Trial Division.

In 2002, DeFino and his daughter, Rose Marie DeFino-Nastasi, 39, made news as the city's first father and daughter to serve on the bench at the same time.

Williams came to know the judge after being assigned to Courtroom 907, where Judge DeFino presided. "I learned a lot from him," Williams said. "He was a wealth of natural reasoning and common sense. He told great stories, and he treated victims and witnesses, and defendants and jurors, with tremendous respect."

He minced no words, Williams said: "He called it like he saw it, like an umpire in a baseball game."

In 2001, Judge DeFino received the Thurgood Marshall Award, the highest honor presented by the Philadelphia Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section, for his dedication to improving the standards of justice in the Philadelphia and Pennsylvania courts.

Judge DeFino was grand master of the Order of Brotherly Love. He was founder and former president of the Frank Palumbo Lodge of the Order Sons of Italy in America.

He was known for his snappy dressing, his quick wit, and the jokes he told employees at the Criminal Justice Center.

"Above all, he never forgot where he came from," his family said in a statement.

Surviving, in addition to his daughter, are his wife of 61 years, the former Rose Graziano; sons Michael, Eugene, Anthony, Thomas, and Vincent; daughter Carmela; 20 grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Another daughter, Julia Sheeran, died earlier.

Viewings will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, and 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at St. Monica Roman Catholic Church, 17th and Ritner Streets, followed at by the Funeral Mass at 11 a.m. Interment is in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery.

Contributions may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, 555 E. North Lane, No. 5010, Conshohocken, Pa. 19428.

610-313-8102