A son of New York City, Mitchell Zaretsky passed away on the morning of September 8th. He was cared for by the loving staff of Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. Mitch grew up on the Lower East Side and met his wife Lililane at City College. They raised two boys and made a beautiful home in Washington Heights where they lived for 42 years. Mitch went on to be the Deputy Chief of Staff for the recycling program at the Department of Sanitation, he was parent of the year several years in a row and the president of the PTA for Kinneret Day School. Over the last decade Mitch was the director of business development for the Center for Allied Health and Education. Most recently Mitch was a mentor at SCORE to emerging entrepreneurs and business owners using his years of expertise, his love for people and their myriad of backgrounds and interests to help them achieve their dreams. A lover of good cigars, travel, music, food, and conversation, Mitch knew his way around every nook and cranny of the city he loved so much. His endless curiosity, kindness, generosity, and sweetness brought him into the lives of a countless number of people who were immediately changed by his presence.
He leaves behind his son Eric and his wife Jamie, their two children Ben and Maya, his nieces Jeri Zaretsky, Hillary Antine, and Lori Enselberg, his brother-in-law Karl Enselberg, his sisters-in-law Shirley Enselberg and Louise Guryan, his son Jay Zaretsky, his wife of 52 years Liliane Zaretsky, and a tradition of leading with your heart.