Ronald L. Kutkiewicz
Ronald Kutkiewicz passed away July 3rd at Albany Medical with his wife Sandy by his side.
Ron was born in West Islip, NY, September 12, 1944, during WWII while his father was serving overseas in the Merchant Marine on a Liberty Ship. Raised in a loving Polish Ukrainian American Catholic community by his father Louis and beloved mother Gynia, Ron spent his youth exploring the lakes, streams, and open waters of Babylon, West Islip, the Great South Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. He developed a lifelong passion for fishing, hunting, clamming, body surfing, motorboat racing, and anything with a motor.
At West Islip High School, Ron was a standout athlete who excelled in football, baseball, volleyball, and as a founding member of the school’s first lacrosse team. He also played flute and saxophone in the band.
After graduating in 1962, Ron attended SUNY Morrisville, earning a degree in Business and Accounting. He then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, but an injury during basic training at Parris Island ended his dream of becoming a Marine fighter pilot.
Returning to Long Island, he worked as a Construction Supervisor and Project Manager for a large residential development company. In the winters, he took up the sport of skiing at Belleayre Mountain. This quickly became an obsession. Within a few seasons, Ron packed his bags up for good and headed to Mt. Snow Vermont to pursue a career as a ski professional. He passionately worked his way up the ranks, learning among the Austrians, achieving the highest level of PSIA certification and a spot on the East Coast Demonstration Team, traveling out west to train with the best instructors in the country. He rose to Technical Director at Mt. Snow and later served as General Manager of Pleasant Mountain in Maine. In the summers, he ran an Olympic training facility on Moosehead Lake, helping develop several winter Olympic athletes.
After successfully proving his ability to run a ski resort, Citi Corp Bank contacted Ron for help in running a ski resort they had acquired in Sullivan County, NY, Big Vanilla at Davos. He agreed, but within one year he raised enough capital to buy the ski area himself, becoming the youngest ski area owner in the State of New York at 34 years old. It was there that he met the love of his life, Sandy, a nationally ranked ski racer. He hired her to run the ski shop, and they soon fell in love. Together, they built one of the most successful ski resorts in the Catskills Mountains. In the summers, they operated a Dude Ranch with over 60 horses, welcoming guests from across the East Coast. In Between seasons, Ron and Sandy found their special place bareboat chartering, sailing and exploring the out islands of the Bahamas. Ron also loved playing soccer in a men’s league and flying model airplanes in his spare time.
After 11 years and the birth of two children, Ron and Sandy returned to Long Island to care for his aging father and share their love of the water with their kids. They settled in Center Moriches, New York, where Ron founded a successful advertising and marketing company. The family joined Eastport Bible Church, where Ron served as an Elder and his children came to faith. As was the plan, Ron started the kids sailing at the Moriches Yacht Club, eventually becoming Director of Sailing, a delegate to the Great South Bay Yacht Racing Association, and the New York State Sunfish Association Representative. He supported his children’s competitive sailing careers across the East Coast. Ron was later elected Commodore of the Moriches Yacht Club—an honor reserved for the most respected sailors and watermen on Moriches Bay. Ron was also an active member and coach in the Moriches Youth Organization (MYO) coaching Trisha's soccer team and Todd's Little League team for many years.
Ron often said his greatest accomplishments were his two children. With Ron and Sandy’s guidance and dedication, their son Todd earned an appointment to and graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, New York, later serving as a ship captain in the Merchant Marine and a Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve. Their daughter Trisha earned an appointment to and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and currently serves as a Commander in the U.S. Navy and Commanding Officer of a major Navy Reserve Center in California. Ron was immensely proud of their careers, families, and his grandchildren.
When the children left for college, Ron and Sandy moved back to the Catskills, settling in their ski house in Roxbury, New York. Ron continued his advertising company while launching a business brokerage firm specializing in the sale of operating businesses across New York State. He also served on the Republican Committee for Delaware County, assisting local campaigns. They became active members of the Jay Gould Reformed Church in Roxbury, where Ron again served as an Elder. He remained an avid sportsman, skiing at Plattekill Mountain, biking, golfing, and especially fishing the West Branch of the Delaware River. A cherished tradition was counting down each January 1st to the opening day of trout season on April 1st—a tradition he upheld this past April when he caught the largest trout of his lifetime.
Ron is survived by his wife of 46 years, Sandy; his son Todd, wife Karen and their daughter Sarah (9) and son John (7) living in Annapolis, Maryland and his daughter Trisha (Kelly), husband Sean, and their daughter Quinn (8) and Hunter (6) living in Corte Madera, California. Ron also leaves a Brother-in-law Larry, a niece Cassie and nephew Cody as well as several cousins around the country who will forever cherish the memory of this remarkable man.
Memorial visitation will be held on Friday, July 24, 2026, from 1pm-2pm at the Jay Gould Memorial Reformed Church. A funeral service will be held at 2pm with Rev. Dykstra officiating.