M. Allan Vogelson, 79, retired Camden County presiding judge

Growing up poor in Camden, M. Allan Vogelson learned the value of hard work as a shoe-shine boy.

He went on to become presiding judge of the state Superior Court of Camden County, enjoying a rich and colorful life, but his love of his hometown never faded.

"To make him feel good, all you had to do was drive through Camden," said his daughter Susan Spivak, describing a recent excursion. Judge Vogelson died Monday of pancreatic cancer at his home in Cherry Hill. He was 79.

He loved cars, too, collecting antique Cadillacs and Packards, among others. He built a six-car garage and still didn't have enough room for them all.

"They were his babies," Spivak said.

And then there was his wife, Sandee. They shared private nicknames with each other. He was "Clutch," she was "Flossie." They first met when he represented her in a divorce.

"He fell head over heels," his daughter said. He married Sandra Klinshow, who later worked at the Playboy Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, supervising the cocktail waitresses and dealers as the "Bunny Mother," and they eventually traveled together to all 50 states.

Foremost, Judge Vogelson will be remembered for his public service. He was elected to the Camden County Freeholder Board in the 1970s and then was appointed in 1991 by then-Gov. Jim Florio to the New Jersey Superior Court.

"Camden County has lost one of its greatest assets and citizen advocates with the passing of Judge Vogelson," said Louis Cappelli, the Freeholder Board's current director, a title Judge Vogelson also once held.

"Allan was a man of great integrity and intelligence, a true resource to our community. His legacy will live on with the library branch that he led efforts to build that now bear his name," Cappelli said in a statement, referring to the regional branch in Voorhees renamed in honor of the judge in 2004.

"He is one of few individuals whose lives have left an indelible mark with us in the county, and has left a high bar for us all to aspire to," Cappelli said.

Maxwell Allan Vogelson was born in Philadelphia to Cecelia and Meyer Vogelson. She was a homemaker, and he sold women's shoes.

Judge Vogelson graduated from Camden High School in 1957, then earned a bachelor's degree from Temple University in 1961, and a law degree from Rutgers Law School in Camden.

Following his father's shoe-selling footsteps, he paid his own way through school by working at a Camden shoe store. He developed a lifelong appreciation for shoes and being sharply — some would say loudly — attired.

In his later years, Judge Vogelson served as a trustee at Cooper University Hospital and Cooper University Health Care, and the Boys and Girls Club of Camden County.

His wife, who went on to become a public relations executive, died in 2015.

In addition to his daughter Susan, Judge Vogelson is survived by two more daughters, Sharyn Bucci and Sherry Dawson. He also is survived by eight grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 1, at noon at Platt Memorial Chapels, 2001 Berlin Rd., Cherry Hill. The funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. Burial will follow at Locustwood Memorial Park in Cherry Hill.

Contributions in Judge Vogelson's honor may be made to the Cooper Foundation, 3 Cooper Plaza, Suite 500, Camden, N.J. 08103.