Mary C. Backus

Mary Catherine (Janney) Backus, 89, of Mont Vernon, NH passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on Wednesday, March 16, 2011. Born May 10, 1921, in Baltimore, MD, she was the daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. John Hall (Brenda Hopkins of Tunbridge Wells, England) Janney. She spent her childhood traveling throughout the world with her parents and brother. They lived in Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Rumania and Mississippi where her physician father uncovered the epidemiology of scarlet fever as part of an international rural healthcare project for the Rockefeller Foundation. Between the overseas assignments, there were home stays in Saint Margarets, MD; Brookmeadow, the Janney family home in Brookville, MD; and extended stays with her mother’s family in England and Scotland. She attended the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C. and the Institut Chateau Beau-Cedre in Switzerland. She spoke several languages, had a wide range of interests and was deeply knowledgeable about many subjects including European history, art, literature, animals, wild birds and plants. In 1945, Mary went to work for Pan American Airlines as a stewardess and was based out of North Beach Airport, known today as New York’s LaGuardia. She was assigned to Pan Am's Atlantic Division and her first flight was in the famous Boeing B-314 Flying Boat to Bermuda. Mary was then assigned to Douglas DC-4s and Lockheed Constellations, flying 12- to 14-hour European flights with fuel stops in Gander or Goose Bay, Labrador, or multi-day flights to South America and South Africa. She recalled serving her passengers three-course meals on fine china, with sterling silver and linen table cloths. In the late 1940’s, she was set up on a blind date in Constantinople with the naval officer brother of her friend and fellow stewardess, Vivian Backus. Mary married Cmdr. Paul H. Backus on April 1, 1950. Paul graduated with the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1941 and survived the sinking of the USS Oklahoma at Pearl Harbor and major battles in the Pacific. They lived in the U.S. and in London, eventually making their home in Amherst, NH, where Mary devoted her life to serving her community and raising a family that included three children; the family’s beloved Welsh nanny, Marianne Lewis, who lived with the family for more than 20 years; numerous dachshunds, mastiffs, an otterhound, ponies, horses, and bantams. The family moved to Mont Vernon in 1973. Mary was a collector of friends, an avid birder and an ardent democrat. She did not go anywhere without running into someone she knew. As in every small town in New Hampshire, town meetings, trips to the library, political candidate coffees, and going to the dump were important social events. Mary served as an EMT on the all-volunteer Amherst Ambulance Service for almost 20 years, resigning when she turned 70. In her later years, she served on the Mont Vernon Conservation Commission and as Supervisor of the Checklist for Mont Vernon. A devout Episcopalian, she was a longtime member of the Church of Our Saviour in Milford. She also was a member of the New Hampshire Audubon Society. She was predeceased by her husband, Paul (1984), and her brother, John Milne Janney (1998). Family members include three children: Andrew H. Backus, and his wife Jean, of Austin, TX; Jennifer C. Murray, of Portsmouth, NH; and Faith Backus Lyons, her husband, Tom, and granddaughters Grace and Phoebe Lyons, all of Manhattan Beach, CA; several nieces; nephews; and English cousins. She also leaves behind her beloved rescue greyhound, Twingo. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations in Mary’s name to Doctors Without Borders USA, PO Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741; or Grey2K USA, PO Box 442117, Somerville, MA 02144. A memorial service will be held at the Church of Our Savior, Milford, NH on Sunday, April 3 at 1 p.m.