Catherine “Kitty” Fortuin Aresty passed away on April 23, 2026, at the age of 96. She was a nearly lifelong resident of Mamaroneck and Rye, New York. She will be remembered as a devoted wife and mother and an important leader of the community. Kitty was known principally for bringing together a number of John Jay’s descendants to save the John Jay House, one of the most historic residences in the United States and an excellent example of Greek Revival architecture, from demolition.
Kitty was born on December 7, 1929, in Nazareth, PA, to Grace Trexler Fortuin and Roslyn Baines Fortuin. The family moved to Mamaroneck in the 1940’s when her father took a position in New York City. Kitty graduated from Mamaroneck High School after being crowned Miss Mamaroneck High School in 1947. She then matriculated at Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire and later at the Tobe-Coburn School of Fashion in New York. She worked first at G. Fox department stores in Hartford, CT, and then at R.H. Macy & Co., in New York, where she was the principal windows designer at the Herald Square store.
Kitty met Joseph J. Aresty, a merchandise manager, at Macy’s, in 1955. They married in 1957 and were devoted to each other for nearly 60 years. Her husband passed away in 2018. The couple raised their family in Rye. Kitty helped Joe acquire and expand Alfred Dunner, a ladies’ sportswear manufacturer that sold nationwide. She later became Vice-President of the Westchester Division of the Children’s Blood Foundation. She spent many years fighting to save the Jay House and then became its principal benefactor and a long-time board member. She was the first recipient of the John Jay Medal of Service in 2012. Through the Catherine & Joseph Aresty Foundation, Kitty, in addition to supporting the John Jay Heritage Center, was a major donor to the University of Southern California, principally with the creation of the Aresty Conference Center and the Catherine and Joseph Aresty Department of Urology, and of the Planned Parenthood Health Center in Queens, NY. She also helped many, many students in underserved communities in the New York metropolitan area gain access to a quality education over many years.
Kitty is succeeded by her son, Peter, and his wife Rosanne, of Mamaroneck, and their three daughters, Skye (Thomas), Ruby, and Lark; and her son, Steven, of New York, and his two children, Charles and Eve. The funeral will be private.
