Robert Truzzolino of Glen Cove ‘treated everyone with respect’

Jury duty has a reputation for being an unpleasant part of one’s civic duty. Prospective jurors can feel anxious about the task at hand, stressed over work conflicts or worried about family obligations. But Robert Truzzolino, of Glen Cove, who died on Oct. 3, at age 70, was known for his ability to ease many of those worries as Nassau County’s longtime commissioner of jurors. He served the county courts for 25 years.

Truzzolino was one of the first faces that many who were summoned for jury duty would see at the beginning of the process. He explained court procedures and other aspects of jury service. He answered potential jurors’ questions while acting as liaison to judges, lawyers and the media. He ensured that prospective jurors were qualified to serve in the courts, and determined whether their duty should be postponed to another case.

Daniel Bagnuola, the Nassau court system’s now retired director of community relations, said that Truzzolino could have secluded himself in his office, but he chose to work at desk near the courts’ counter, interacting directly with his staff.

He was one of four children of John Truzzolino, who worked in civil service, and Dora Truzzolino, a homemaker. Robert spent his formative years in New Hyde Park and attended school in the Herricks district. He was a receiver on the Herricks High School football team.
Truzzolino met his future wife, Karen, in 1978 on a blind date, arranged by their respective siblings. The couple were married for 43 years, and had three children: Bobby and Joseph, of Glen Cove; and Kara Siciliano, of Merrick.

After taking classes at St. John’s University, in Queens, Truzzolino worked at Manischewitz, the kosher products company, and began working in the county court system in 1997. He was appointed county commissioner of jurors in March 2009, after several promotions. Bagnuola credits Truzzolino’s promotions to his intellect, personality, intuition and kindhearted nature.

On an average day, Truzzolino would meet with hundreds of people who had been called to jury duty. “He had incredible empathy, and treated everyone with respect that goes so far beyond what I think people would expect with public service,” Bagnuola said. “Many jurors come in with a lot of trepidation. They don’t know what to expect because they’re nervous. They may come in and they may act in a way they normally would not. Bob just would have a calming effect on them.”

Bagnuola recalled many instances in which Truzzolino displayed an ability to sooth jurors’ anxieties, remembering, for example, one young mother who had been summoned to the court. She worried about picking her child up from school. Truzzolino simply told her she could come back another day.

Truzzolino was involved with AHRC Nassau’s Next Step program, an initiative that enlisted members of the organization who volunteered to work on the courts’ beautification projects and their libraries. He also helped with health care initiatives such as the jury blood donation program.

Tony Jimenez, a Vietnam veteran, a retired deputy county jury commissioner and a former Glen Cove city councilman, worked with Truzzolino daily from 2001 through 2017. Jimenez said that Truzzolino had a strong work ethic, and was often in his office long past normal working hours.

“I’ve never come across anybody who was so willing to help everybody, with nothing in it for him but being able to help,” Jimenez said. “There were no ulterior motives for all the things he said and did. He just wanted to be the guy that helps fix things.”