Vari was born Helen Ilona de Fabinyi in Spišská Nová Ves on March 31, 1931,[1] and was raised in Hungary.
In 1984, Vari and her husband founded the George and Helen Vari Foundation to promote education in Canada and cultural and educational exchange.
[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.
[7] She also financed a new visitor's centre at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.