Cybil Alyssa Nelson, 35, passed away in a motor vehicle accident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, on June 24, 2022. Cybil was born Jan. 23, 1987, in Boulder, Colorado, to Arthur and Helen Nelson. Her friends have all described her as an amazing and remarkable person with a very kind heart. She grew up camping, hiking, fishing and wakeboarding all over Colorado and California in the summers. In the winters, she snowboarded, cross-country skied and sledded. She gained a keen appreciation for the outdoors and a passion to preserve and protect the natural world she had learned to love.
Cybil spent her fifth-grade year in Trieste, Italy, along with her mother, sister and father, Art Nelson, who was awarded a Fulbright fellowship abroad. During that year, she learned to speak conversational Italian and traveled with her family to many countries across Europe. Afterwards, Cybil and her family moved to Livermore, California.
Cybil had always been a talented and dedicated dancer beginning in pre-school, and she continued taking dance lessons and performing with Tiffany’s dance team in Livermore. In sixth grade, she was invited to perform in Cancun, Mexico in a dance exchange. She went on to be a cheerleader in middle school and Livermore High, where she often choreographed the half-time performances. Cybil also attended Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Dance Camp in Colorado during high school. In college, she took dance classes at Humboldt State University and at Trillium dance studios where she performed Flamenco dancing, among other styles of dance. She excelled in both ballet and jazz. Cybil also appreciated visual art and had visited countless art museums in the U.S. and abroad. She enjoyed painting with acrylics and sharing her work with friends and family.
After high school, Cybil attended Las Positas College in Livermore, and Mills College in Oakland. She later transferred to Humboldt State University, eventually earning her BS in biology. Her goal was to eventually work with the U.S. Forest Service to manage and safeguard the threatened habitats of the indigenous plants and animals. Before graduating, Cybil had been awarded internships at Uppsala University in Sweden, Institute de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain and the Instituto Nazionale di Oceanografie e di Geofisica Sperimentale in Trieste, Italy. During her college years, she had lived another year in Italy while taking long-distance classes at Las Positas College. She travelled all over Italy and then visited many other countries, including Sweden, Slovenia, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Greece, England, France and Switzerland. She had a passion for adventure and travel.
Cybil volunteered with Engineers Without Borders in the Dominican Republic, helping to construct freshwater facilities for the local people. Next, she volunteered for Fertile Groundworks, Livermore, California, Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, White Salmon, Washington, Friends of the Dunes, Arcata, California, and for the Friends of the Central Cascades, Bend, Oregon. She created many YouTube videos about her research as a Conservation Biologist which can be viewed on her YouTube Channel, “Cybil Nelson.”
Cybil enjoyed horseback riding with her friends. Also, in her spare time, she was an avid gardener and built a greenhouse in her backyard, so she could start and grow many kinds of vegetables and flowers in the spring and summer, which she shared with friends and neighbors. She liked raising ducks in her backyard, as well. Cybil also loved kayaking with her beloved dog, Diesel, who passed away with her.
Survivors include her parents, Art and Helen Nelson of Livermore, California; sister and brother-in-law, Alexis and Tony Blakey of Portland; nephews Adam Blakey and Charlie Blakey; as well as many cousins, aunts and uncles who all loved her dearly. She was a joy to be with and had a smile that lit up every room she entered. She will be missed forever. A celebration of life for Cybil will be held in September.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Central Oregon, https://hsco.org/.
