John J. McGarry, real estate professional and coach

John J. McGarry, 59, of Philadelphia, a real-estate professional known throughout the city for his can-do spirit, his passion for helping others, and his longtime volunteer work as a basketball coach, died Sunday of heart failure.

Mr. McGarry, who lived in Center City, was the director of real estate brokerage at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was instrumental in revitalizing West Philadelphia. For more than 20 years, he also was a coach and mentor in the Sonny Hill League, helping youths from some of the city's most battered neighborhoods.

"A million kids go through the Sonny Hill League," said Bruiser Flint, head basketball coach at Drexel University, "and John tried to help them. He looked after a lot of guys."

"He'd find out a player wasn't eating, going to school, or needed clothes," said John Harnett, a Sonny Hill coach. "A lot of times, there weren't any parents for him to go to, so John involved the community, the church, and helped these kids. He helped people who had fallen on the rough side of life."

"There are so many people he made sure they graduated high school, went to college, whatever their dreams were," longtime friend Neil Rodin said. "He was 'the rock' for so many people."

One was his adopted son, Tyrone Weeks, who was 14 when he met Mr. McGarry.

"I was kind of raising myself," said Weeks, now 35. His mother was addicted to drugs; his father was long gone.

"I grew not knowing what it was like to have a relationship with my real father," said Weeks, who played basketball at the University of Massachusetts, graduated in 1997, and is now an assistant coach at Marist College.

Dylan McGarry praised his father's ability to reach across lines regardless of race or economics. "He lived for being able to make people happy," he said.

Known for his contagious smile and booming voice, Mr. McGarry was a keen observer of politics and community relations and a go-to guy at Penn.

After 20 years of working in various real estate development positions, Mr. McGarry joined Penn in 1998, working in property management. In 2002, he became Penn's director of real estate brokerage.

"Everybody had John on speed dial," said Wendy White, Penn's general counsel. "He was the sort of person to say, 'John, I need . . .,' and he would get it done."

He also was the sort of person, White said, to shout "I love you" from the across the street when he spotted colleagues on campus.

White called Mr. McGarry "critical to the West Philadelphia story" for his work with residential and commercial redevelopment projects. "He made sure the city was doing what we needed and that the community was participating," she said.

Former colleague Omar Blaik noted how Mr. McGarry knew everyone in the Penn community, from the flower-shop owner to the corner falafel-stand vendor.

"And because of his work with community organizing," said Anne Papageorge, vice president of facilities and real estate services at Penn, "he was able to pull people together to work on neighborhood initiatives. That's not an easy thing to do, trying to find a common goal to move projects ahead. John was really good at that. He was able to bridge conflicts and find a path forward."

Mr. McGarry also was active in many nonprofit organizations, including the University City District, UC Green, Friends of Clark Park, and Philadanco dance company. He was a commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Board of Real Estate Brokers, Center City Residents Associates, Philadelphia Condominium Managers, and Rittenhouse Row, where he was known as the "Mayor of the Square."

"He just loved people," Rodin said. "He put his life and his heart on his sleeve. He was the kind of guy to take on anything he believed was good for people."

Besides his sons, Mr. McGarry is survived by a daughter, Kari Rosenfeld.

A viewing will be at 6 p.m. today at the Pennsylvania Burial Co., 1327 S. Broad St. Another viewing will be at 9 a.m. tomorrow at St. Patrick's Church, 20th and Locust Streets. A funeral service will follow at 10:30.

Contributions may be made to the John J. McGarry Memorial Fund at the Philadelphia Foundation, 1234 Market St., Suite 1800, Philadelphia 19107.