Anyone who knew Khalil Thomas Smith knew he was one of the most generous people around. He would host cookouts, paid for out of his own pocket, for his birthday and Fathers’ Day. Every year he would host a large community event where everything was free, including food and entertainment. And he would go to a local shelter for people experiencing homelessness and donate toys, slippers, books and, of course, entertainment and food.
Besides opening his wallet and heart, he was also generous with his time. He would mentor younger men by taking them to the movies, wrestling events and dinners. Khalil also worked at a nonprofit dedicated to values he shared called OnesUp, which focuses on career training for youth in North Philadelphia.
“He was just awesome. He was an awesome friend. This guy would give you the skin off his bones, not just the shirt off his back,” gushed his mother, Theodora Tomlin. “Everybody loved him: children, adults, seniors. He was an awesome son, brother, friend, mentor.” His positivity shone through his nickname, “Tommy-Two-Thumbs,” for his typical two thumbs up in photos.
Khalil also was a family man, and he never missed a holiday celebration. His pride and joy were his children, Kamaya, age 10, and Jeremiah, age 5. Khalil’s dedication to his children made him extremely proud of having been awarded custody of his son. He was also very close with his grandmother, with whom he lived. She passed away in 2019, which was a very difficult time for him and the rest of the family. Khalil was survived by both his parents, his five sisters, and his two children.
But Khalil didn’t get the chance to see his kids grow up. He was shot and killed on Salem Street in Frankford on Aug. 28, 2021. He was 33. At his funeral, at Khadijah Alderman Funeral Home, lines of people waited to speak on his behalf, overflow rooms filled, and even more people waited outside. “I felt proud even though I was in mourning,” said his mother.
Always the family man, on his last Christmas, Khalil planned yet another large gathering at his house. He was committed to hosting, but there was only one problem – he couldn’t cook. He turned to his mother, asking if she would cook for everyone while he hosted. She agreed, so long as he took care of the groceries. She said she’d planned to make mac and cheese, her own recipe with a mix of various cheeses. She was shocked to see him return from the store with 12 boxes of mac and cheese, instead.
He was born and raised in Philadelphia, went to school at Northeast High, and had taken some courses at Temple University. He sang, took photographs and had some of his music on YouTube.
Khalil’s mother continues to discover how deep his commitment to entertaining and supporting his community was. She just recently found out that Khalil used to wrestle in a neighborhood playground as entertainment for local children. She said he had asked to borrow her stepladder, and she had thought, OK, Khalil’s going to do some work around his house. Only much later did she find out he was instead using it as a prop for wrestling in the park. She never got that stepladder back.
The energy he brought to family and community gatherings has been sorely missed. As his mother said, “In his 33 years, he lived his life.”
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