Geza Kisvarsanyi

After a long life and a brief illness, Geza Kisvarsanyi released his soul back to God and the universe on January 14 at the age of 96. He was born in Tokaj, Hungary in February of 1926, and was raised in Eger, Hungary. In World War II, he was drafted as a young man near the end of the war, and was a survivor of a Soviet Gulag work camp. After his return to Hungary, he earned a diploma in geology in Budapest’s Eotvos Lorand University and began teaching there. The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 interrupted his life for a second time and he had to leave his homeland along with his wife. He emigrated from Hungary to the United States where he found work as an exploration geologist for the Kennecott Copper Corporation, but then decided to pursue a Ph.D. in geology from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now called Missouri University of Science and Technology). He was a geology professor there until his retirement, at which point he and his wife, also a geologist, moved to Sarasota Florida. Geza was an active member of Sarasota’s Hungarian-American Cultural Association (or The Kossuth Club) for many years before moving to Gainesville Florida to be near his daughter. He wrote many poems, and took up digital art at the age of 90. In his poems and artwork, his love of nature and his homeland shone through. He leaves behind his wife of 66 years, his daughter, and many relatives and friends in both the United States and Hungary. In lieu of flowers, consider making a contribution by check to The Kossuth Club (P. O. Box 19774, Sarasota, FL 34276), writing “Geza Kisvarsanyi Memorial” in the memo section.