Arlene Karen (Visnyei, Varga) Nelson

Arlene Karen Nelson (Visnyei, Varga), age 76 of Lansing, NY passed away on January 13, 2024 at Cayuga Medical Center surrounded by her family.

She was born October 7, 1947 in Ithaca, NY, the daughter of Dawn Wurzel Visnyei and the late Michael E. Visnyei. Arlene graduated from Ithaca High School in 1965 and was employed by Lansing Central Schools, for many years, as a bus driver, retiring in 2005. On June 17, 2000 she married Byron V. “Buzz” Nelson III in Lansing, NY. She enjoyed woodworking, crafting and reading.

Those left to cherish Arlene’s memory is her husband of 23 years, Byron Nelson; her mother, Dawn Visnyei of Ithaca, NY; sister, Sherri (Les) Buchannon, Ithaca, NY; sons, James (Karen) Varga of Holly Springs, NC, and Josh (Kristi) Varga of Farmington, NY; stepsons, Scott Nelson of Gainesville, FL, and Kevin Nelson of Lansing, NY; grandchildren, Jack and Abigail Varga, Jenna and Camryn Varga, Griffin, Ethan and Will Nelson, Marilou, Magnolia and Iyanu Nelson; several nieces and nephews. In addition to her father, Arlene was also predeceased by her first husband, James R. Varga.

There will be a Celebration of Arlene's life on Saturday, June 29th at 1 pm at The LakeWatch Inn, 1636 E. Shore Dr., Ithaca, NY. A private family committal service and burial will take place this summer in East Lawn Cemetery, Ithaca, NY. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Arlene’s memory to Friends of the Tompkins County Public Library (https://www.tcplfoundation.org/give-now) or to Hospicare and Palliative Care of Ithaca (https://www.hospicare.org/donate/donationform)