Alvin Emineth

Alvin “Al” Emineth, 89, of Bismarck, passed away peacefully on July 7th, 2025, surrounded by family. A loving husband, devoted father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and one of North Dakota’s most respected court reporters, Al lived a life of faith, service and love.

Born in 1936 in Bismarck to John V. and Angeline (Gerhardt) Emineth, Al’s early years were marked by both joy and tragedy. In 1945, he survived a tragic house fire where he lost four of his siblings. After graduating from St. Mary’s High School in 1954, he left North Dakota for Washington, D.C., where he worked in the FBI’s Criminal Division and began studying court reporting by day while transcribing memos for J. Edgar Hoover by night.

In 1958, Al returned to Bismarck and became the youngest federal court reporter in the country. Over the course of a 47-year career, he transcribed the state’s longest trial (more than 16,000 pages), worked on high-profile cases, and recorded speeches for national figures including Hubert Humphrey, Robert Kennedy, and Nelson Rockefeller. In 1970, he was nationally recognized as the fastest shorthand stenographer in the country. He helped develop the software that, in 1978, allowed computers to transcribe court reporters' typing.

Al also founded Emineth & Associates in 1972, a court reporting business that still serves the region today. But for all his professional accomplishments, Al’s greatest joy was his family.

On June 23, 1958, Al married Marie Koenig, the love of his life. Together, they raised three children and were blessed with grandchildren and a great-grandchild whom they adored. Al was always the biggest kid in the neighborhood and never missed a chance to play basketball, shoot bottle rockets or spend time with family.

He is survived by his children: Lynda (Mike) Ulmer; Mark (Mona Sur) Emineth; and Karen Rinehart; grandchildren: Joshua Fern, Matthew (Kelsey) Fern, and Nicholas Rinehart; great-grandson: Everett Alvin Fern; brother: Donald (Karen) Emineth; and numerous nieces, nephews and great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Marie; his infant sons, John Paul and Michael John; his parents, John and Angeline; and his siblings, Anna Marie, Edward, Elizabeth, Henry, Mary, Stephen and William.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10am, Saturday, July 12, at Church of Corpus Christi, 1919 N. Second St., Bismarck. A service livestream will be available on this link: Alvin Emineth's Livestream. Visitation will take place from 5pm to 6pm, Friday, July 11, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, with a Rosary and Vigil service beginning at 6pm. Burial will immediately follow the Mass at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Bismarck.

Al will be deeply missed and forever remembered for the life he lived, the legacy he leaves, and the stories he told with a twinkle in his eye.