Maurice McElligott, 91, former Family Court judge

Few people receive a calling to dedicate their lives to public service. For Maurice McElligott, it wasn't a question of how, but when.

For the first 12 years of his legal career, McElligott was a corporate attorney for Westinghouse, Borden and Bristol-Myers in New York City. He committed the next 48 years to public service in the courtroom.

"He loved the opportunity to help people, and was a very fair-minded and honest person," said his wife, Susan McElligott, a retired English teacher at Plainedge High School. "He always valued education and believed in hard work."

Maurice McElligott, of Huntington, died May 14 at the age of 91 after a long illness.

"He was always present in our lives. Very few people get it right with their family and their career," said his daughter Kristen McElligott Warden. "He was simply the best."

Born in the Bronx on Sept. 27, 1931, McElligott graduated from St. John’s College in 1952. He served as a captain in the Marines during the Korean War between 1952 and 1954 and continued to serve as a captain in the Marine Corps Reserve until 1964. McElligott graduated from St. John’s University Law School in 1959.

In 1972, McElligott became an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, and in 1988, he was elected a New York State District judge. He was elected a Family Court judge in 1994 and, after reaching the mandatory retirement age for a judge, he served as a judicial hearing officer until the age of 88.

McElligott met his wife in 1971 at a party in Manhattan. They were married in 1973, and the next year moved to Huntington, where they raised three children:  Suzanne McElligott of Manhasset, Kristen McElligott Warden of Vienna, Virginia, and Maurice McElligott of Merrick.

"Maurice greatly loved his family and friends," said Susan McElligott. "He was generous and kind, had a thoughtful spirit, and a great sense of humor."

"He enjoyed parenting and was so dedicated to his family. He didn't miss one tennis game, swim practice or crew meet. He followed everything that was going on in our lives," said McElligott Warden. "He didn't become a grandparent until age 80, but that kept him young."

McElligott was an avid reader of Newsday and books, particularly about military history and war stories. He enjoyed spending time with his family at West Neck Beach in Huntington.

McElligott's nephew, Brian McGuinness of Bellport, said that his uncle "wasn’t capable of anything but selflessness."

"He knew his decisions would have a profound effect on families, especially children. There are very few judges who can balance heart and the law, but his Christian upbringing informed his values, and they are universal to all faiths," said McGuiness.

McGuiness added that McElligott was like a "second father" to him, and helped him through medical school.

"He lived a long life; it just wasn’t long enough for people he touched," said McGuinness. "He was the man I aspired to be like. He is missed."

McElligott Warden said that dozens of judges, court reporters and court officers — some whom McElligott hadn't worked with in 20 years — came to pay their respects to her father. 

"They all said that my dad was a really empathetic judge, and that he had a unique combination of heart and common sense," said McElligott Warden.

Judge John Andrew Kay, a Suffolk County traffic court judge, said that McElligott was "a blessing to know and be with."

In addition to his wife and children, McElligott is survived by his sister, Catherine Ryan, and his grandchildren.

A funeral Mass was held May 22 at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in Melville with burial at Calverton National Cemetery.