Varda Peller Backus, M.D.

Dr. Varda Peller Backus passed away peacefully on August 5, 2024, in La Jolla, California, on her 93rd birthday. Varda will be deeply missed. She leaves behind her husband of 47 years, George Backus; her children, Eric and Karen Ganz; her stepchildren, Benjamin, Brian, and Emily Backus; and her sister, Shulamite Al Shech. She was also a proud grandmother to eight grandchildren: Ariel, Lily, Alexander, Benjamin, Francesco, Carter, William, and Daniel. She will be remembered for her grace, integrity, generosity, insight, joy, high standards and indomitable spirit. She has left an indelible mark through contributions to her patients, the field of psychiatry, her family, and her friends.

Varda was born Esther Varda Peller to Dr. Moritz Peller and Dr. Anna Jacobs Peller in Tel Aviv, a child of Austrian immigrants living under British occupation. In her teenage years leading up to the Arab-Israeli War, she was a bicycle courier for the Haganah underground, received military training, dug trenches in the Tel Aviv airport, and was a star pupil at a prestigious high school, the Herzliya Gymnasium. Her formative years instilled exceptional competence, emotional strength, and moral resolve. She remained optimistic, wise, and action-oriented throughout her life, even under difficult circumstances.

Varda attended City College in New York. She lived with and became very close to her uncle, Dr. Sigismund Peller, and his wife, Lili E. Peller. In 1953, Varda married Leo Ganz, a New Yorker who became a professor of biopsychology at Stanford University. They had two children, Eric (1961) and Karen (1963), and remained together for 23 years.

Varda embarked on a distinguished career in psychiatry after graduating from the University of Chicago Medical School in 1957, one of just four women in her class. She interned at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago and was a resident at Harvard Beth Israel. She practiced psychiatry in Riverside, Seattle, and New York City before joining Stanford University as a clinical associate professor and clinician in the Department of Student Health. In 1977, she married the UCSD geophysicist George Backus and moved to La Jolla, where she worked with the Scripps Clinic Psychiatry Group until her retirement in 2001. She specialized in helping patients cope with cancer and published in academic journals on mental health strategies for managing the emotional impacts of breast cancer and the side effects of psychiatric drugs. She was a committed member of the American Psychiatric Association and the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. She also chaired the Ethics Committee of the San Diego Psychiatric Society.

Varda also was an accomplished gourmet cook, preparing three-course dinners daily. Her dessert repertoire spanned cakes, mousses, trifles, and fruit pies, including her signature apple tart. As an avid gardener, she was known for her stunning rose garden, orchids, and floral arrangements. Her love for literature encompassed works in English, French, and Hebrew. A regular at operas and classical music concerts, Varda was especially fond of Mozart. She has served as the Chair of the Program Committee for the La Jolla Chamber Music Society. She adored French culture, learning the cuisine, the language, and life in Paris, where she and George developed close friendships over extended stays. She cut an elegant figure with her eye for fashion and enthusiasm for fitness. She walked, swam, and was a regular at the gym, where the staff nicknamed her "the Dart" for her youthful energy.

A family memorial will be held at her beloved home in La Jolla. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Medecins Sans Frontieres.