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Kirsten Alexsandra Rota
August 4, 1971 – October 31, 2025
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“Kiki” Rota, at age 54, of New City, New York, passed away peacefully on October 31, 2025, after a courageous battle with a recurrence of breast cancer. Born in August of 1971, in Washington Heights, New York, Kirsten was the beloved daughter of Barbara Walker and the late Earle Walker. She was a devoted wife to Wayne Rota, a loving mother to her son, Dylan, a cherished sister to Giana Marquetti, and a loving aunt to her talented niece Kyra Skye.
Kiki will be remembered for her radiant energy, sharp wit, and boundless capacity to bring joy and color into every space she entered. She will be remembered for her infectious spirit, creativity, and the love she shared so freely with everyone around her. A bright light to all who knew her, Kiki will be remembered for her humor, strength, creativity, and the warmth she shared so freely.
Kiki was a proud graduate of Convent of the Sacred Heart in NYC and went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in French Literature from Amherst College. She studied in France, in both high school and college. She spoke fluently in French and did it so well that French people would ask her which province in France she was from.
Her curiosity and ambition led her through a dynamic career—from investment banking to account management, sales, recruitment, and ultimately to career counseling and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. She loved mentoring others, particularly her work supporting the LevelTen Energy Scholars in renewable energy.
In 2013, Kirsten married the love of her life, Wayne, at the Bear Mountain Inn, marking the joyful beginning of a marriage filled with laughter, travel, adventure, love, creativity, and lasting memories. Together they raised their fantastic, cherished son Dylan, who was her greatest joy. She felt the world was his and always encouraged him to go after it. Kiki was endlessly creative.To know Kiki, was to know her unwavering determination. When she wanted to learn something new, she pursued it until she mastered it. Her smile, humor, and light touched everyone around her.
She had an endless list of passions: traveling,good books designing custom silver jewelry, floral arranging, and delicate watercolor paintings. Her love for baking, especially cookies, and her talent for creating beautiful gift baskets brought joy to everyone lucky enough to receive them. Her curiosity and drive meant she could master anything she set her mind to.
A member of the “Lit-Wits” book club and a Pilates enthusiast, Kirsten lived life with curiosity, passion, and grace. She savored the theater,cherished her friends, and found joy in every connection she made,always with humor, grace, and that unmistakable sparkle in her eyes.
In her own words, Kirsten believed that “friendships were life’s most valuable treasures.” She believed that sometimes as adults, we let our lives become more hectic and isolated. She encouraged everyone to continue to make friends, to stretch themselves, and to cherish memories. Be a friend, reach out to someone new, accept an invitation, and let yourself be happily surprised. It’s never too late.
Kirsten’s smile could light up a room, and her humor and determination inspired everyone. Her light, laughter, and love will live on in every heart she touched. If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I’d walk right up to heaven and bring you home again. A great soul never dies, they live in our hearts forever.
Acknowledgements :
Your comforting expression of sympathy
will always be remembered with deep gratitude.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) or Autism Speaks in honor of Kirsten Rota.
Please see the link below for the livestream.
https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/c25111986433059
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In Memory
The first week of freshman year—a nervous, awkward time for almost everyone, except for Kirsten (Walker) Rota. On a run to Stop & Shop, she strolled the aisles, belting out tunes from Oklahoma. So she announced herself as a force of nature to her Pratt dormmates, someone whose joyful, boisterous embrace of life they’d discovered went hand in hand with creativity, wit, generosity and a deep and abiding gift for friendship.
At Amherst, Kirsten majored in French and spent her junior year in Aix-en-Provence. Ericka (Williams) Alschuler ’93 was also studying abroad, and Kirsten would send her long, intricately decorated letters, like “bundles of love wrapped in little works of art.” When Kirsten’s parents visited, Ericka was invited to travel with the family for a giddy week in Italy—just as, freshman year, when she’d had nowhere to go at fall break, Kirsten had invited her to her family home in Rockland County, N.Y., along with Amy (Hicks) Warren ’93 for a weekend of PJs, lasagna and movies.
Born in Washington Heights, N.Y., Kirsten was the youngest daughter of Barbara Walker and the late Earle Walker, the sister of Giana and the aunt of Kyra Skye. She and beloved husband Wayne raised their son, Dylan, the greatest joy of her life. She passed away on Oct. 31, 2025, after a courageous battle with a recurrence of breast cancer. She was 54.
Kirsten had a dynamic career, the capstone of which was at LevelTen, a renewable energy company where she was a mentor to the company’s energy scholars, a role she adored. In an interview about her work, she shared this advice: “Someone once told me that of all the things you’ll possess, the collection you should care about the most, is hearts. Be a collector of hearts.”
Amy Warren ’93 and Carrie Frye ’93
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Deceased October 31, 2025
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Contact
Family
Amherst Relatives
- Wayne Rota W'93
Personal
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Professional
Employment Information
Former
- Acct ExecDow Jones & Company, Inc.Start:01/1998End:01/2006
- Financial AnalyMorgan StanleyStart:01/1994End:01/1997
- Morgan StanleyStart:01/1994End:08/2011
Industry Information
Former
- Business & Finance: Investment
- Communications: Publishing
- Sales
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Amherst
Reunion Class
- 1993
Graduation Year
- 1993
Major(s)
- French
Other Academic
Secondary Schools
- Convent of the Sacred Heart
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Amherst
- Coolidge Dormitory
- Moore Dormitory
- Pratt Dormitory
Post-Graduate
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