Looking back on his 40 years in Philadelphia courtrooms, with 18 years spent on the bench in the Court of Common Pleas, longtime Chestnut Hill resident Judge Jeffrey Purcell Minehart said in a 2021 interview that it was time for a change. “I’m 74 years old, and I feel that it’s time for me to pass my gavel and turn in my robe,” he told the Local when he announced his retirement from the bench in May of that year.

Minehart, a highly respected jurist for his intelligence, fairness and professionalism, died Sept. 2 of complications from Alzheimer’s disease at KeystoneCare Hospice in Wyndmoor. The Germantown native, the son of the late John and Margaret (nee Purcell) Minehart, was 78.

Minehart’s nephew, Bryan Lentz, also a lawyer, told us last week, “The judge was proud of growing up in Germantown as one of six children in a household well remembered by any who were fortunate enough to visit it. Judge Minehart was beloved by all who knew him. He had a unique ability to find good in just about anyone. This skill served him well on the bench, where he was well known as a tough but compassionate judge.”

Born the fifth of six children, Minehart became interested in the law during his first job after college as a juvenile probation officer. Part of the job involved testifying in court, which is when he watched lawyers “put on a show,” as he told the Local. After all, he had been a cast member in many dramas at Germantown Friends School. He even won a drama award in his senior year.

While attending Temple University School of Law at night, Minehart also worked as a salesman and bartender. As a lawyer, he was a prosecutor and private criminal defense attorney. He was a formidable opponent in court because of his appealing personality and his flair for understated drama. He never tired of telling funny stories, especially ones where he was the foil. Upon graduation, he practiced law independently for one and a half years until he was hired by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office. He spent a total of 10 years as an assistant district attorney.

Minehart’s wife of 57 years, Ginny (nee McBrien), told the Local last week, “So many people who worked with Jeff over the years have reached out to me since his passing. So many women said to me that Jeff was such a good listener. He hired many women who said that he gave them a chance when no one else would. They would say, ‘He threw us into the fire when no one else would, and that turned out to be a good thing because we had to learn who we were as a person and as an attorney.’ They said he allowed them to fail and be comfortable in their own skin. They all said he was a wonderful mentor.

“And Jeff was always acting. He actually considered making a career as a professional actor, but he decided against it. His aunt Kitty [Minehart] started the Germantown Theater Guild. He always loved being on stage, and at parties he was a magnet. And he always used humor to make his stories come alive. But because of his Alzheimer’s disease, our daughter, Jenny, who is a nurse, asked us to move close to them in Glenside. We found the new place in Glenside to be so quiet at first, but we learned to love it here.”

After practicing criminal law for 22 years, Minehart became a judge in 2003. In his third year as a judge, Minehart ran a program called “Gun Court” because it adjudicated cases that involved the unauthorized ownership of guns. In that one year, he tried 1,100 cases. In his fourth year, Minehart asked to be put on homicide cases, where he presided for eight years, followed by more than six years in the criminal trial division, which handled nonhomicide criminal trials.

“Criminal law is exciting! You see lots of fireworks,” Minehart said in 2021. The cases could be gruesome and sad, however, and those that involved children were the hardest to take. In his bedroom, Minehart kept a photo of a girl who had died of neglect. “Everyone had let the child down, from the parents to the government agency involved,” he said.

Ginny Minehart is a retired teacher from the Philadelphia public schools, where she helped shape reading and writing programs. The couple met when he was 18 and she was 15. “We lived in four different houses in Chestnut Hill,” Ginny Minehart said, “and every neighborhood was friendly and welcoming.”

As a judge, Jeffrey Minehart was highly regarded. “Jeff has the perfect personality to handle difficult cases,” his colleague, Common Pleas Court Judge Kenneth Powell, told the Local in an earlier interview. “He’s compatible with everyone, not because he’s malleable but because he’s adjustable. He doesn’t raise his voice, but you can tell from the look in his eyes that he means business.”

In addition to his wife, Ginny, and children, Jen Artman and Jeffrey P. Minehart, Judge Minehart is survived by his grandchildren — Nolan Minehart, Maggie Artman, Grace Artman, Maisie Minehart and Chloe Artman — and siblings Bonnie Lentz, Dr. Peggy Minehart, Sally Clickner, Johnny Minehart and Dr. Richard Minehart. Funeral services were Sept. 6 at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Glenside.

Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.