W. MARTIN CATTO

October 29, 1938 – October 27, 2024 W. Martin Catto died peacefully, on October 27, 2024, in Lewiston, NY, two days before his 86th birthday. He is remembered with love by his wife, Katharine "Kitty" Pierce; daughters, Sally and Susan (Andrew); grandchildren, Spencer, Amelia, Auden and Ivy; sisters, Jennifer (Jerry), Elizabeth and Catherine (Gill); extended family Ella, Angus and Jefuremu (Rose). Born in South Africa, Martin moved to Hong Kong in 1961 to join Price Waterhouse. He was passionate about seeing the world, and worked in New York and London before settling in Toronto to raise his daughters with his first wife, Helen Thomas. After a stint at The Oshawa Group, Martin joined Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., a subsidiary of Torstar, in 1981. As Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Harlequin, the world's largest publisher of romance novels, Martin oversaw employees in 15 countries. Honesty and fairness defined his approach to business, leadership and life, and former co-workers recall thriving under his mentorship. In 1995, Martin married Kitty and they soon relocated to Nyack, NY, for his job at Troll Communications. They retired in Lewiston, NY, to be closer to their grandchildren. Martin will be missed for his elegance, dry sense of humour, and love of rivers, oceans, classical music and the Yankees. Most of all, he'll be remembered for always making an effort to be with the people he loved: travelling the world to see friends and family, welcoming people into his home, and frequently visiting his beloved grandchildren in Toronto. Friends are encouraged to be inspired by his example.