November 12,1990 -July 28, 2026
Born Daisy Esmeralda Tamez, we knew her as Daisy Esmeralda Cortez.
Wife, sister, mother to four, mentor, mentee, friend, colleague, CVR, court reporter, voice writer, superstar. Daisy was many things to many people. She still is.
In life, you’re lucky if you make one or two solid friends. Daisy was everyone’s person. She was a friend to all, and everyone loved her. She was selflessly there for you whenever you needed, and her friends enthusiastically reciprocated. We love you, Daisy.
In February 2021, Daisy joined a group chat I created on Facebook Messenger for students whom she met and maintained lasting friendships with.
A few months later, I was fortunate enough to meet her at the NCRA Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. We screamed and shared a hug when we ran into each other at the Expo Hall. I don’t remember the details of the conversation, but I do remember the feeling I felt afterwards: butterflies. I felt a positive energy and vibration that I gained through our brief encounter. Daisy had that effect on people.
In 2022, we worked together on a collage I made for Court Reporting & Captioning Week, which is when our profession celebrates our work and shares court reporting and broadcast and CART captioning on social media with people outside the field.
Through the years, many of us got to know Daisy through social media. She chronicled her journey through school. Out of a need to support her children, she switched from machine to voice and became a successful and respected court reporter.
Whether it was scriptures she would sporadically post or pictures celebrating her progress post-workouts, she motivated so many of us. She mentored and encouraged her friends and family to push themselves to achieve their goals, whether physical, spiritual, or academic, and she was always there to congratulate us and celebrate our accomplishments.
Tanya Vera: Daisy was a friend who taught you how to love others.
Kit Masterson: Daisy was a firecracker; she was always ready to hype up whoever needed it.
Elizabeth Grace: Daisy was a warm, funny, magnetic girl, precious and irreplaceable. She had a special talent for connecting with people and for persevering. I wish everyone reading this could have had a chat with her. I know her family and loved ones feel an immeasurable pain right now. I want to thank them for knowing her and guiding her and making her the person we all knew and cared for so much, and I want to offer whatever help I can provide, however small it may be, to them.
Turquoise Trotter: Daisy was an absolute trailblazer. She was so courageous as one of the first voice writers to demonstrate for the Nevada Court Reporters Association. She obtained so many state licenses and assisted her colleagues whenever she could. I miss her so.
Carrie Hewerdine, RDR, CRI: Daisy Cortez had been reporting since 2022. I had the privilege of working with her through test anxiety, watching her learn to trust her own strength and do what she needed to do, regardless of others’ opinions.
Daisy once told me our work together taught her that we are all teachers and students, wherever we are in life — and that even a new reporter has something to offer. Her real strength was empathy: remembering the struggle and encouraging others to never give up. That’s what will be missed most.
Tia Ely: Daisy, you were one of my closest friends. I will forever cherish your memory.
You absolutely loved the court reporting profession and everything that came with it. You were one of the best. We will love and miss you forever.
Daisy’s impact and legacy lives on in all of us and the kindness we put out into the world. Daisy will be remembered for her heart of gold and the way she made each one of us feel like the best versions of ourselves.
She saw us for who we really are. And we saw her for who she really is.
And in a digital/social media age where so much is curated and inauthentic, that type of authenticity stands out and will never be forgotten.
Rest in power, Daisy Cortez.
Chris DeGrazio
Fort Pierce, Fla.
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