Cedars Tennis Resort mourns the loss of tennis director

Cedars Tennis Resort Tennis Director Jeff Aarts died of a heart attack last month. He was 59.

The club hired Aarts as its first tennis director in 2012; Aarts was also an avid golfer. On Aug. 7, he collapsed while approaching the 15th hole at the Hudson National Golf Course, in Croton, N.Y., while playing a round with his wife, Karen, and son, Michael.

When Jesse Cook, Cedars director of operations, and Trevor Hind, executive vice president of Resort Vacations, interviewed him for the position of the club’s first tennis director nearly three years ago, both recognized a promising candidate.

Cook recalls the way Aarts presented himself upon their initial meeting, saying his demeanor made him a shoe-in for the job.

“He was a very active and hardworking individual,” Cook said. “He will be next-to-impossible to replace.”
Born Dec. 3, 1954, in Guantanamo, Cuba, Aarts grew up in Pound Ridge, N.Y.

He competed in a variety of sectional and national tennis events throughout the country since graduating in 1977 from the University of New Hampshire, where he competed as the varsity squad’s No. 2 player during his senior year.

He and his wife, Karen, spent the past 14 years at Wee Burn Country Club in Derian, Conn., where he worked as a tennis pro during the Key’s off-season.

The Aartses lived on Longboat Key from October through March. Aarts was a fixture in the area’s golf and tennis circles. As a member of the Bradenton Beach Club, he was typically found on the golf course when he wasn’t on the tennis court or at home with his wife. He was one of just two pros on-site at Cedars during the season.

“He (Aarts) always took the extra step and got to know people, their names and their backgrounds,” said Lauri Slade, operations manager for Resort Vacations, the parent company of Cedars Tennis Resort. “He was a very personable guy who was well-known and respected at work and in the community.”

Aarts is survived by his wife, Karen; sons Peter and Michael; and parents Jerry and Prue.

Donations can be made to a fund in his name to Danbury Grassroots Tennis and Enrichment, P.O. Box 2912, Danbury, CT 06813.