The various obituaries announcing the Aug. 24, 2020 death of Judge Geoffrey Gaulkin will undoubted recite his many contributions to our State generally and to its legal community particularly—contributions as a lawyer, a prosecutor, a trial and appellate court judge and a special master. They will comment that certain of his roles came naturally to him as the son of a distinguished Essex County prosecutor and the venerated Superior Court trial and appellate court judge, Edward Gaulkin. Although many are blessed with the DNA of distinguished forebearers, not all realize its potential. Not so in Judge Geoffrey Gaulkin’s case.

Several of us on this board have had a close personal connection to Judge Gaulkin. He was a dear friend, a boss or a bench colleague. For some, he was a combination of these roles—certain of them going back more than 50 years. We knew him to be a consummate listener, a kind and gentle man, a deeply attached family man, an intellectual with a wide breadth and depth of cultural interests and a hard-working judge fully committed to the responsibilities of his role. He was a voracious reader of serious works, a faithful opera and concertgoer and a conscientious student of the piano. He was truly a man for all seasons.