Robert Hirst-Hermans

Robert Hirst-Hermans, 80, of Drexel Hill, PA, left the world a better place on January 1, 2026.

Born in 1945 in London, Rob was the first of five children, with four sisters who cherished him so much, and whom he loved with every fiber of his soul. They had next to nothing in the material sense, but they had each other. They had family and they had love and they had laughter — and it’s that love that would become the driving force of his life.

To know Rob was to love Rob, and to be loved by Rob. He told everyone at every chance he got: “love is the answer.” He said it to friends, to family, to neighbors, to car mechanics, to cashiers at the Drexel Hill ShopRite where he went weekly “to do his PR.”

His first love, music, led him from the stages of The London Palladium where his band The Pathfinders opened for The Who (which he’d downplay by telling you they weren’t famous yet), to years spent in Athens, Greece and Naples, Italy, and finally to Philadelphia. This is where he met the true love of his life, Terry, who was at the bar after one of his gigs waiting for her friend to get off work. Thanks to his English accent, she broke her own rule of never giving her number to a man at a bar.

Love gave him the insane idea to buy Terry a plane ticket to England to meet his family after their first date, where she found herself faced with four sisters in a family of performers who asked her what her talent was, to which she replied: juggling (to everyone’s surprise, including hers). They handed her two oranges and an apple, and they’ve been her sisters ever since.

His love of learning took him to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned a degree in economics. His mantra of “only do what you love” led him to leave that field behind and teach himself programming in the early days of computers, a job he loved so much he said he would have done it for free.

Love led him and Terry to create Heart Gallery Philadelphia, a nonprofit that enlisted professional photographers to create portraits of hundreds of foster children, and held exhibits to help them find the love of family.

And love led to the proudest chapter of his life: fatherhood. He used to say to his sons, “no pressure, but it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.” It’s where his infinite love found its greatest purpose. Rob was the most wonderful father anyone could ever wish for. In a world where a lot of men shy from it, he showed his sons that expressing love openly and endlessly is actually the manliest thing you can do.

The world may be a bit darker now that he’s left it, but it’s a whole lot brighter because he was here. As Rob would say, “peace and love.”

Rob was preceded in death by his father Robert, mother Georgina, sister Julie, sister-in-law Judy, niece Jodi, and granddaughter Zuri.

He is survived by the love of his life Terry; sisters Barbara, Valerie, and Tina; sons Robert and Ian; daughters-in-law Sarah Rios and Traci Branker; granddaughter Avery; beloved granddogs Harvey and Vernon; many nieces and nephews he adored like his own, and countless friends and family whom he loved with all his heart.

We extend our deepest appreciation and respect to the oncology nursing staff at The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, angels on earth who cared for Rob like he was their family.

Loved ones are invited to a celebration of life at Tyler Arboretum in Media, PA on January 31st from 1-4 PM, with a ceremony of stories and music at 2 PM. Please bring memories, songs, stories and jokes. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Rob’s name to the Upper Darby MusicMan Academy at udmusicman.org/support, reflecting his lifelong love of music and his belief in passing it on to the next generation.