Rae G. (Gale) Backer

Rae (Gale) Backer of Newton, MA passed away on Sunday, January 14, 2024 at the age of 99. She was born on April 30, 1924 in Boston, MA, and moved with her family to Newton as a teenager. She was an alumnus of Colby College and worked at Filene’s Department Store as a copywriter in the Fashion Department. Later in life, she worked as an administrative assistant at the Brandeis University Athletic Department. Rae was predeceased by her beloved husband, Morton Backer. She was a devoted mother of James Backer and his (late) wife, Anny; Claire Backer; and Louise Backer and her husband, Nick Ciciretti. Rae was the loving grandmother of Tamara Backer, Rebecca Ciciretti, Alexa Ciciretti and her husband Edo Frenkel.

Rae and Mort endowed their children with the appreciation of education and the arts. They were members of the Museum of Fine Arts and had season tickets for the Boston Symphony Orchestra for many decades. She was proud to own a baby grand piano in the house for many years and passed on a love of music and art to her family.

Rae enjoyed sailing with Mort and her children. She was happy to go fishing, as long as Mort cleaned the fish on the way back to the mooring.

Rae and Mort were world travelers. Exploring different cultures and learning about foreign countries grew into a lifelong passion for them. The experience of travel throughout the United States and abroad was their only luxury. (For Mort, owning a boat, preferably with sails, was a necessity, not a luxury). They visited Australia, China, Costa Rica, Colombia, Israel (multiple times), and many European countries. They traveled extensively in the United States, including spectacular trips to Alaska.

Rae was a fiercely independent woman. Unlike many of her contemporaries, she decided to learn about the internet to maintain contact with her far-flung family and to do research on politics and health. As a voracious reader, Rae learned to use a Kindle and took it with her whenever she left her apartment, even to the hospital during her final weeks. She also handled most of her finances online. In addition, she continued driving her car well into her 90s while maintaining an excellent sense of direction and remembering names of streets throughout the Boston area. These are just a few of the examples of how Rae met the challenges of a changing world as she advanced in age.

Rae was intelligent and quick-witted, coming up with dry-humor, deadpan punch-lines to what was happening around her and in the news. She was always aware of current events in the United States, Israel, and around the world. Even in her last days, she talked with visitors and on the phone with family members about what was happening in the world. She said that she would miss knowing about current events. Claire told her that she probably wouldn’t want to know and Rae laughed, as did others in the room.

When Rae moved to Cabot Park Village, she developed a new dimension in her life and gained many meaningful friendships. Along with daily visits to Mort, she was active in the community’s rich social life: lectures, music performances, art appreciation lessons, exercise classes, and movies. Rae was the chair of the movie committee, an activity she took seriously. She was an active member of the community council and the residents’ executive committee.

Dr. Johanna Klein, Rae’s Primary Care Physician, summed it up: Rae was “a force of nature” and also “they broke the mold when she was made.”

The family would like to thank Janet Gottler, David Gottler, and Debbie Goodman for the love, compassion and care they showed Rae in her final weeks.

The funeral service will be at Levine Chapels in Brookline on Monday, January 29, at 10 am. There will be a private burial at Sharon Memorial Park. A celebration of Rae’s life will be held at Cabot Park Village (280 Newtonville Ave., Newtonville) for family and friends Tuesday, January 30 from 1pm to 3pm. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in Rae’s honor to a charity of your choice.