Obituary of Katina Raciti Pouder

Dr. Katina Aurelia Raciti, MD

1924- 2025

Pediatrician

Aurelia “Ray’ Pouder, 101, known professionally as Dr. Aurelia Raciti, MD, of New Milford, CT and formerly of Bedford, NY passed away on Friday morning, the 28th of February, at home with family by her side.

Ray was born January 23, 1924 to Venerando and Bertha Raciti in New Rochelle, NY and was predeceased by her parents and her husband, George. She is survived by her sons George (Linda) of Northwood, NH, Leonard (Gabrielle) of Sharon, CT, and Nick (Linda) of New Milford as well as grandchildren Alexandra, Arielle, Olivia and Maggie.

Ray developed a love of science at a young age and studied Biology, receiving her BA from Barnard College in 1945. A summer internship in cancer research at Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor inspired her to pursue a career in medicine and she received her MD in 1949 from New York University.

Ray interned at Bellevue and often told the story of doing brain surgery and having her patient wake up on the operating table. Her passion, however, was always children and she became a Pediatrics Resident at Brooklyn Methodist Hospital and St Lukes before opening a private practice in New Rochelle. Ray joined the City of New Rochelle’s Health Department serving as Director of Child Health and was appointed Commissioner of Health, then joined the Westchester County Health Department where she served as Director of Child Health Services and developed pioneering programs in lead poisoning prevention and the prevention of infectious diseases, particularly measles.

At the urging of her childhood friends Annie and Margaret Lieb, Ray begrudgingly agreed to a second date with George Pouder, a young man who worked for the Lieb family. The second date sparked a romance that spanned nearly 70 years. She and George married in February 1957, raised three boys, and travelled the world together, though she was always happiest exploring the tide pools of Maine and Cape Cod, or at home with her family. Ray made no secret of the fact that she wanted a daughter and was delighted to have four granddaughters with whom she held countless tea parties and spent many afternoons baking.

Shortly after moving to Bedford, Ray received a housewarming gift of a baby lamb and raised a f lock of sheep in Bedford until they broke out of the paddock and ate her husband’s prized fruit trees. The sheep were promptly sent off to greener pastures at George’s insistence. She was delighted to spent her final three years living on a sheep farm in New Milford and bottle-feeding newborn lambs. An avid hand spinner and weaver, she gave educational spinning demonstrations and participated in historical reenactments throughout Westcheser County with the Handweavers Guild of Westchester and other community groups.

Ray was a devout Episcopalian and a passionate choir member. She joined the choir at St Paul’s in New Rochelle as a child and sang with the St Stephen’s choir well into her 90s. The family is eternally grateful to the team at RVNA who supported her in her final years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Armonk https://www.ststephensarmonk.org/donate or Breakthrough T1D (formerly Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) https://www.breakthrought1d.org/

Calling Hours:

Friday March 7 4-8 PM

Oelker-Cox & Sinatra Funeral Home

262 E. Main Street Mount Kisco, NY

Funeral Service:

Saturday March 8, 11AM

St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church

50 Bedford Road

Armonk, NY