With deep gratitude and heavy hearts, we honor the life and legacy of Jesse Pittore, a visionary leader and co-founder of Agemark Senior Living. Jesse’s impact on our organization and the lives of countless residents, team members, and families cannot be overstated. Jesse passed away on July 7, 2025, with his family by his side, following an illness.
In the 1980’s, alongside his friend and business partner Richard Westin, Jesse founded Agemark with a bold and heartfelt goal: to create communities that felt like home, and where older adults could thrive, not just reside. He brought his expertise in engineering and historic renovation to senior living, blending vision with compassion to reimagine what elder care could be.
Jesse knew that people defined the business, once saying, “My favorite thing about Agemark is our people. Agemark employees truly love taking care of residents and have a genuine heart for those they serve.”
We are grateful for Jesse’s remarkable legacy and will carry his spirit forward in all that we do. His legacy at Agemark Senior Living lives on – especially through his son, Michael Pittore, our Co-CEO.
Jesse was highly respected and well-loved by the Agemark team. Below are tributes from current and former Agemark team members.
Richard Westin, Co-Founder and Board Member, Agemark Senior Living:
I first met Jess on a phone call some 40 years ago; we had an interesting conversation, which led to lunch that day. We have been partners ever since. Jesse was instrumental in the creation of Agemark Senior Living. As co-founders, he and I worked side by side to establish the company and a fiscal path forward. Our journey was not without course corrections, but together we created Agemark and went on to raise millions of dollars, from family, friends and the public to make our vision for the future a reality. Without Jesse’s vision, passion, and leadership, we would not be the company we are. His impact on our organization and the lives of countless residents, team members, and families cannot be overstated. We are grateful for Jesse’s remarkable legacy and will carry his spirit forward in all that we do. He will be deeply missed.
Marty Hug, Executive Chairman, Agemark Senior Living:
It is difficult to put into words the positive impact Jesse Pittore made on those around him.
Jesse was not only a Principal of Agemark, who, along with Richard Westin, created unique, people-centered housing and services for seniors; Jesse was also a mentor, coach, leader by example, and friend. I had the incredible opportunity to work with Jesse for nearly four decades, and what started off as a business relationship, forged through the challenges of a start-up company, quickly developed into a friendship accompanied by mutual respect, trust, and care.
Conversations between Jesse and me would often start with business discussions, but always transitioned into conversations about his family, sports, and life in general. He shared experiences, offered sound advice, and taught me valuable lessons. His support and friendship meant more than I can adequately express.
His passion for life was inspiring, and he was loved by many. He will be terribly missed.
Marcia Houchin, Former Vice President of Life Enrichment, Agemark Senior Living:
“It was a privilege for me to work for Jesse Pittore for over 35 years at Agemark. As a founder of one of the nation’s first assisted living companies, he helped shape what this new senior living alternative would become. Those early days were exciting! Jesse was passionate, determined, forthright, inspiring… and demanding. But I learned so much from him about business, partnership, leadership, and service. He was a visionary, and he truly understood the importance of innovation. I’ll never forget the manila envelope he once mailed to me. No letter inside, just a newspaper article about the future of senior living across which he’d written and circled in red: ‘Innovate or die!!!’”
While both shrewd and pioneering in business, it was his strong family values that defined Jesse Pittore. He enjoyed many pursuits, but his eyes really lit up when he talked about his kids. Over the years, we saw more and more of Jesse’s sentimental nature, gentle humor, generosity, and humility. He was a grateful man who dearly loved the people in his life. Jesse Pittore will be both remembered and missed.”
Linda Larkin, Former Director of Operations, Agemark Senior Living:
Some individuals leave a mark on the world so deep that their influence echoes in the lives of those fortunate enough to cross their path. Jesse Pittore was one such person for me – a man whose vision, tenacity, and compassion shaped not only an industry but also the many people who learned from, worked with, and were inspired by him.
Jesse Pittore’s story is one of ambition guided by empathy. As a co-founder of Agemark, Jesse recognized a vital need: to provide not just a place for seniors, but a home filled with dignity, care, and respect. Through sheer determination, business acumen, and an unyielding commitment to service, he helped build a company that became an industry leader, setting new standards for excellence and compassion in assisted living. He also built a family within a company.
Personally, Jesse inspired me to do my very best. He saw potential where others saw limitations, urging me—and so many others—to learn and grow in directions we never thought possible. Jesse’s confidence in his team was infectious, and his trust inspired loyalty and dedication. As someone just starting my career, Jesse made space for me to contribute, dream, and succeed.
Jesse was a builder – not only of a successful company, but also of careers, confidence, dedication, and opportunity. May his memory continue to inspire us all to do our very best, to build, serve, learn, and grow, and to give others the opportunities that Jesse Pittore so generously gave to the world.