Friends remember Judge Vincent Giglio's soft side

One day in 1988, Wayne Fontes strolled into court, clad in flip-flops, shorts and a T-shirt. "I'd like to introduce everybody to my friend, the coach of the Detroit Lions, Wayne Fontes," said the judge, Vincent Giglio.

The moment is one of the fondest memories Fontes has of Giglio, who died Thursday at 74.

As Fontes took his seat before the judge, Giglio bellowed: "Now if you ever walk in my courtroom again with shorts and flip-flops again, I will hold you in contempt!" A startled Fontes thought he was serious.

"Now come up here and give me a hug," Giglio laughed.

Friends and relatives described Giglio as a tough man with a stern demeanor. But "on the inside, his was a heart of gold," said his daughter, Deborah. Giglio practiced law for 23 years and served as a judge for 12 years before retiring in 1996. He spent most his time in the juvenile division.

"He became the foremost expert in the state on juvenile law," said John Grant, 65, a former state legislator who practiced law with Giglio. "It's not an easy area to deal with."

Grant had seen the toughest sides of Giglio. As a young lawyer, Grant had been appointed to defend a man in a capital case. The prosecutor was Giglio.

Grant gained respect for the man he squared off against. "He was a real gentleman. His word was his bond," Grant said. Shortly after the case, Giglio hired Grant to work in the State Attorney's Office.

In a 1993 interview with the Times, Giglio explained his tough approach to juvenile cases. "They know we're just bluffing justice," he said, referring to the relatively light punishments available to the court, noting that many kids came from dysfunctional families.

"The cases he heard were just gut-wrenching to him because they involved children," Deborah Giglio said. "He always tried to make the right decision, the one that best affected the well-being of the child."

Despite the pain of the loss being felt Saturday, his friends all were stirred by remembering his affable side, the one that drew people to him.

"He was one of the finest, one of the great fathers, great with his children," Fontes said. "If you didn't like Vince Giglio, then you don't like apple pie, or Chevrolet, or America."

Austin Bogues can be reached at abogues@sptimes.com or (727)893-8872.