Dominick Tursi, 80, renowned court stenographer

Dominick Tursi was always passionate about learning. According to his family, the accomplished court stenographer lived by American writer William S. Burroughs' quote, "When you stop growing, you start dying." Tursi was never afraid of change, he always embraced it, they said. 

The Northport resident died on April 14, 2023, from a heart issue. He was 80.

Tursi was born in Brooklyn on April 13, 1943. He attended St. John's Preparatory School and then St. John's College from 1960 to1961, but left due to a lack of finances. At the encouragement of his parents, who met a court reporter at a dinner party, Tursi enrolled in the Hefley & Brown court reporting school at 18 and graduated within eight months, embarking on a career that would span the rest of his life.

In 1962, Tursi moved to Long Island and was hired by the Nassau County Supreme Court, where he would stay for 20 years until his retirement in 1982. He focused on teaching for several years before returning to work for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, from which he would retire in 2021, after 24 years. 

"He worked for the courts until his fingers no longer worked. My dad always joked saying that he 'failed' at retirement so many times," said his son, Matthew Tursi.

Dominick Tursi started the Verbatim School of Court Reporting in 1969 in Hicksville. It was there that he met Anneliese, in 1980, when she was a student at the school. They were married on Feb. 15, 1992.

"He was loved and well-respected by every judge and lawyer in the courts," said Anneliese Tursi of her husband. "Dom worked with the Honorable Judge Joseph F. Bianco in a program that brought students from all over the island into the courts to learn about the judicial system. He treated everyone with respect and always made people smile."

After researching and gathering information for two years, Tursi started the Gallery of Shorthand, a museum dedicated to the history of court reporting and located in the Federal Courthouse in Central Islip, in 2010.

"The museum goes back to the time when records were first kept," said Matthew Tursi. "He covers so much history: Cicero, the day Lincoln was shot, the Nuremberg trials … he always believed that we were the historians of the record and we needed to get it right."

"Dom was a mentor to so many court reporters across the country, as well as a shorthand scholar and a dynamic public speaker," said friend, Joshua Edwards of New York City. "His spirit lives on. He will always be a dear friend."

In addition to launching a school and a museum, Tursi wrote a book titled "The Legends of Shorthand," lectured all over the world, and set the world record for writing 300 words per minute. But to his family, he was simply a beloved husband, father and grandfather.

"He was my mentor, and I came to him for guidance on everything," said Matthew Tursi, who had his father review his high school and college essays, and anything that had to do with writing.  "I joined the army two years ago and he helped me push through basic training and saw me graduate."

"He was so full of life and no matter where we were, or who we were with, he always made people laugh," said Anneliese Tursi. 

Dominick Tursi enjoyed traveling, spending time with his family, and singing. He got into voice-over acting later in life, and was also a competitive pool shooter, playing in amateur leagues from 2005 to 2010. His faith was also important to him, as he dedicated his time to being a church lecturer and catechism teacher.

 Tursi's family believes that he would want to be remembered as a wonderful, giving and caring person who loved everybody. 

"He was a deeply passionate man in whatever he did, and he gave it 200%," said Anneliese Tursi. "He lit up the room when he walked in."

In addition to his wife and son, Matthew, Tursi is survived by his three children from a previous marriage: Duane Tursi of Michigan, Trent Tursi of Florida, and Todd Tursi of East Meadow; his six grandchildren: Spencer, Pierson, Sophia, Grayson, Maverick and Remington; his brother, Leonard; and sister, Paula.

A funeral service took place on April 28 at St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church in East Northport. Tursi is interred at Northport Rural Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions were made to The Gallery of Shorthand.