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.