Alvis Arens

Alvis Arens of Vestal passed away peacefully at Mercy House on Sept. 10th 2025. Born in Riga, Latvia in 1942 to the late Karlis and Tatjana Arens, he, with family, fled their homeland in 1944 during the communist invasion. While living in France, his father played professional soccer for “Racing Club de Paris”. In 1953 they immigrated to Flushing NY, where he and his brother Erik attended school. Graduating from New York Institute of Technology, while playing basketball, he earned his Electrical Engineering degree. He married Irisa Berzinskis, and moved to Vestal, NY, working at IBM in Endicott for 30 years and Universal Instruments for 7. Al loved sports, fishing, and traveling, but most of all family get-togethers. He leaves behind wife Irisa of 60 years, children Andris (Naomi) and Brigita (Robert) Anderson, grandchildren Larisa (Bryce) Arens-Morgan, Benjamin (Shannon), Caleb, and brother Erik (Marie). He belonged to Latvian Lutheran Church of Syracuse.
Internment with memorial service will be held privately at a later date at the Latvian Memorial Park in the Catskills. Donations in his memory may be made to Mercy House of the Southern Tier, 212 N McKinley Ave, Endicott, NY 13760.