Dr. Varda Gottlieb Shaked

Dr. Varda Gottlieb Shaked, from Brookline MA, lived an extraordinary life at the intersection of music, technology, education, and family. Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, and friend, she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on September 16, 2026, in Boston, at the age of 72.

Born in Israel in 1953, Varda was an accomplished classical pianist where she studied and taught in various music conservatories before moving to the United States in 1976. Her love of music and the arts remained with her throughout her life. In the Boston area, she was a devoted supporter of the Brookline Music School, Boston Children’s Theater, and the Boston Celebrity Series, and the arts continued to be an important part of her home and family.

Varda was equally passionate about science and technology. After moving to Boston, she earned a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Boston University. From 1981 through 2000, she worked at BBN Technologies and GTE Laboratories, where she focused on speech recognition technology, artificial intelligence and natural language processing (NLP) in their early stages, long before those fields became part of everyday life. Her curiosity also extended to education and learning. At a later stage in her life, she earned a PhD in Educational Studies from Lesley University, continuing her lifelong interest in how people learn and understand the world around them.

Varda had a zest for life. She loved to travel, explore new places, meet new people, discover different cultures, and experience the world to its fullest. She also had a remarkable ability to bring people together. Her Brookline home was a place where family and friends were always welcomed and people felt at home and cared for due to her devoted attention and love.

But more than anything else, Varda was the heart of her family. To her husband, children and grandchildren, Varda was much more than the accomplishments listed on a résumé. She was a source of love, strength, wisdom, curiosity, and encouragement. She passed on her appreciation for music, her love of learning, her independence, and her determination to experience everything life has to offer.

She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Israel; her children, Tal (Ilanit), Adi (Omer), Dan, and Maya; and her grandchildren, Liav, Liam, Idan, Ilai, and Dylan. She will be dearly missed and forever remembered and celebrated by her friends and family.

Varda’s burial and shiva was held in Tel Aviv, Israel.