Helen Vari

Helen Ilona Vari CM (née de Fabinyi; March 31, 1931 – March 16, 2023) was a Canadian philanthropist.

Biography

Vari was born Helen Ilona de Fabinyi in Igló on March 31, 1931,[1] and was raised in Hungary.[2] She was educated in Hungary and Austria. She met George Vari in 1950. She fled Hungary in 1957 following the Hungarian Revolution of 1956.[3] She and George were married in Montreal in 1967.

In 1984, Vari and her husband founded the George and Helen Vari Foundation to promote education in Canada and cultural and educational exchange. The foundation gave philanthropic gifts to numerous educational institutions including the University of Toronto, York University, Toronto Metropolitan University and Ontario Tech University.[4]

The Varis donated generously to the restoration of Les Invalides and donated thousands of Canadian maple trees to the Palace of Versailles to replace those destroyed in a storm.[5]

On November 19, 2015, Vari was made a Member of the Order of Canada, she was invested on February 12, 2016, at Rideau Hall by David Johnston, Governor General of Canada.[5] She was also honoured with the French Legion of Honour and served as a patron of the foreign section of the Society of Members of the Legion of Honour.[6][2]

She was honorary colonel of the Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own).[4]

In 2022, as honorary co-chair of the Vimy Foundation, Vari unveiled the Vari Gate in Vimy.[7] She also financed a new visitor's centre at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.

Vari died on March 16, 2023, at the age of 91.[2]

Honours

National honours

February 6, 2002: Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
November 19, 2015: Member of the Order of Canada[5]
February 6, 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal

Foreign honours

France:
- Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur:
  - 2012: Officer[8]
  - 2018: Commander[9]
  - 2022: Grand Officer[10]
- Ordre national du Mérite:
  - Officer[3]

Honorary degrees

2003: York University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)[11]
2011: Victoria University, University of Toronto, Doctor of Humane Letters (LHD)[12]
2015: University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Doctor of Laws (LLD)[13]
2017: Ryerson University, Doctor of Laws (LLD)[14]
2019: St. Francis Xavier University[15]
2022: Nipissing University, Doctor of Letters (DLitt)[3]

References

"Helen Ilona Vari". Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
"Helen Vari". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
"Nipissing reveals 2022 honorary degree recipients". Nipissing University. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
"TMU mourns the loss of philanthropist Helen Vari". Toronto Metropolitan University. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
"Mrs. Helen Vari". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
"Death of Mrs. Helen Vari". France in Canada. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
"The Vari Gate is officially inaugurated at The Vimy Foundation Centennial Park in Vimy, France". The Vimy Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
"Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 146, Number 23: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
"Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 152, Number 4: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
"Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 156, Number 27: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
"Ten individuals with connections to York University appointed to the Order of Canada". York University. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
"Honorary Degrees Conferred by Senate". Victoria University. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
"Ontario Tech mourns the loss of Helen Vari, honorary doctorate recipient and university supporter". Ontario Tech University. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
"Ryerson University to honour Helen Vari and Frank Iacobucci with honorary degrees, October 11-12". Toronto Metropolitan University. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
""A Celebration of Achievement and Triumph Over Challenge:" StFX Confers Degrees, Diplomas at 2019 Fall Convocation". St. Francis Xavier University. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

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[1] "Helen Ilona Vari". Mount Pleasant Funeral Centre. Retrieved 25 March 2023.

[Obituary-2] "Helen Vari". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved March 24, 2023.

[Nipissing-3] "Nipissing reveals 2022 honorary degree recipients". Nipissing University. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

[TMU-4] "TMU mourns the loss of philanthropist Helen Vari". Toronto Metropolitan University. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

[CM-5] "Mrs. Helen Vari". The Governor General of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

[6] "Death of Mrs. Helen Vari". France in Canada. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

[Vimy-7] "The Vari Gate is officially inaugurated at The Vimy Foundation Centennial Park in Vimy, France". The Vimy Foundation. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

[8] "Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 146, Number 23: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

[9] "Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 152, Number 4: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

[10] "Canada Gazette, Part I, Volume 156, Number 27: GOVERNMENT HOUSE". Government of Canada. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

[11] "Ten individuals with connections to York University appointed to the Order of Canada". York University. Retrieved March 24, 2023.

[12] "Honorary Degrees Conferred by Senate". Victoria University. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

[13] "Ontario Tech mourns the loss of Helen Vari, honorary doctorate recipient and university supporter". Ontario Tech University. Retrieved March 19, 2023.

[14] "Ryerson University to honour Helen Vari and Frank Iacobucci with honorary degrees, October 11-12". Toronto Metropolitan University. Retrieved March 20, 2023.

[15] ""A Celebration of Achievement and Triumph Over Challenge:" StFX Confers Degrees, Diplomas at 2019 Fall Convocation". St. Francis Xavier University. Retrieved March 19, 2023.