Orissa Viza

Orissa Viza passed away on Monday, July 27th, at the age of 70 after a courageous battle with brain cancer. Predeceased by her parents, father Harold Viza and mother Donna Viza (Hoefner), and her son Galen Barbour, as well as her Yorkie, Lila. She is survived by sons, James and Seth; her grandkids, Yolen, Eszrah, and Xurie; brothers Jim and Dan, and sister Teresa; and her cat, Sophie.

A rebellious and independent spirit, Orissa graduated Greece Olympia High School, and went on to receive several degrees, certifying as a registered nurse.

She was at once a resident of Boston and Wellfleet, MA, and Naples, NY. However, Rochester, NY was home, and she moved back to be closer to family.

An avid sportswoman. She was a competitor, and participated in the Olympic-stylized Gay Games IV in NYC, taking home a bronze. Inline skating, road cycling, kayaking, camping, and cross-country skiing were her activities of passion and restoration.

She enjoyed music immensely. She was a patron of the arts, and supported her local community of musicians and artists by being in the crowd. She engaged the community she lived. She networked through music, finding connections along the way. Always experimenting, she played drums, marimba, and bass guitar at various times in her life.

Orissa volunteered for charities and organizations throughout Rochester. always finding time to donate to, or help, her community.

Orissa was a loyal friend whose willingness to say the quiet part out loud was at times both incredibly uncomfortable and endearing. An independent woman in pursuit of the bluebird of happiness, she overcame obstacles to not just succeed, but to metamorphosize into the best version of herself and yet still consistently look to improve.

She instilled and cultivated an adventurer's heart into each of her sons. And will be missed and cherished for all the memories she made.

The family would like to give a heartfelt thanks to all the men and women who so graciously cared for Orissa at the end of her life. All the doctors and nurses from Strong Hospital, Shepherd Home, Mt. Carmel, and Monroe Community Hospital. The family would like to thank the people who donated their time and energy.

A private New Orleans celebration of life service will be held at Highland Park on Saturday, August 22nd, 2026, Time TBD and will be a New Orleans-style party, as was always a request of hers, told to by friends and family throughout the years. The family is open to musician & artist solicitations for this event and can be submitted to: gdb4space@gmail.com.