Aron B. Katz

Aron Katz, known by everyone as Ron, passed away peacefully at home, leaving his loving family and community with great sadness. Although he had an uncharacteristically quiet few years at the end, he spent his 88 years on the planet dedicated to adventure and living his biggest and fullest life.

After a skirmish in college that afforded him some free time (he liked to say he never met a rule that did not need to be broken), he set off on his first big trip, sailing to Europe where he stayed for almost two years. While there, he fell in love with travel, French wine, and being an entrepreneur.

 He returned from Europe, graduated from Colgate University, and went on to graduate from Yale Law School. He then became a partner at Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelssohn in NYC.

Never one to stay long in anyone else’s system, he left New York and his law firm in 1975, confident that bigger things laid ahead. He became an entrepreneur and business innovator (he founded American Residential Properties, Astarte, and ParaScript), excelling in turn at real estate development, venture capital incubation, and software. 

He loved driving nice cars, eating gourmet food, drinking old Bordeaux wines, collecting art and adventure travel. He was a courageous traveler, willing to sleep anywhere and eat anything in service of seeing sights and having experiences off the beaten path. His passports bulged with extra pages and exotic stamps. 

And as he succeeded in his businesses, he shared incredible generosity with those around him. Many people in his world received help and well-timed gifts from him, from tuition to medical assistance to post-disaster roof repair. No one who ate a meal out with him ever got to pick up the check. 

Among his many talents were a brilliant understanding of tax law and politics, philosophy, and business development. He was a skilled negotiator and loved the entrepreneurial spirit of making deals.

He was a talented photographer and loved taking candid portraits. He produced noteworthy series of portraits in Ethiopia, Afghanistan and New York City, which were all exhibited in NYC galleries. 

He was a loyal and dedicated friend, having long-term connection and impact on many friends throughout the course of many decades. 

He loved telling a good story, even if it meant exaggerating a bit here and there. 

He was also talented at having fun. He was energetic, charismatic and loved a good conversation – including verbal sparring with willing (and sometimes less willing) partners. It was a treat to sit at his table or travel with him. He always believed (and loved to proclaim) that wherever he was, whoever he was with and whatever he was eating were his favorites, which left him regularly content and happy.

He leaves his wife, Denise (Deny) Tierney Katz, his ex-wife, Dr Phyllis Katz, two children, Martin Katz and Margaret Katz Cann, his daughter-in-law Phoenix Cai, and four grandchildren, Alejandro (Hondo), married to Nicolette (Nicki) Katz., Francisco (Cisco) Katz, Harrison Cann and Simon Cann, and two great-grandchildren, Ava and Charlotte (Charlie) Katz.

He was an extraordinary person who lived an extraordinary and big life. As he looked back on the fullness of his adventures and escapades, he notably said, “Life doesn’t owe me a thing.” He leaves behind a sad community of people who feel blessed by the opportunity to have shared his generosity, his intelligence, his creativity and his love. We will miss him greatly.