Harold Dunbar House

Harold Dunbar House passed away peacefully at home with his wife, Deborah, and in the care of East End Hospice on Nov. 14, 2025 after a long struggle with ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

Born in Detroit, Mich. to Harold Bigelow House and Vivian Dunbar House on April 16, 1947, Harold built a remarkable life dedicated to his family, music and international cooperation in medicine.

Harold married to Deborah Simpson House on July 9, 1983 in Greenport in a garden ceremony with family and friends. Through his marriage, Harold gained three children Bernard (BJ), Jennifer and Jeffrey.

Harold graduated from Bay City Central High School in Bay City, Mich. in 1965. He attended Valparaiso University from 1965 to 76 and went on to earn both a Bachelor’s and Masters of Music with honors from Michigan State University from 1967 to 70. He pursued his Ed.D. at Teachers College, Columbia University from 1970 to 72 while simultaneously performing as a conducting student at The Julliard School with the distinction of being a selected student of Leonard Bernstein, Emanuel Balaban, Pierre Boulez, Thomas Schippers. He continued with his studies at the University of Kentucky from 1972 to 75 as the assistant director of bands while he pursued his Ph.D. in Musicology and Conducting with an emphasis in 19th and 20th century music. In his never-ending pursuit of learning, Harold received a basic science certificate in Ophthalmology and Neurosciences from the University of Iowa School of Medicine.

Harold’s passion for music started well before his undergraduate years when he was President of the Michigan State Spartan Marching Band. While at U of K he assembled and conducted the Central Kentucky Youth Concert Orchestra in Lexington, Ky. where he inspired countless young musicians – some of whom perform with prestigious ensembles like the New York Philharmonic and others collaborated with renowned notables like the Dali Lama.

Among his honors and memberships he was a principal trade and business US representative for the Soviet Academy of Sciences in the United States for Amtorg, and Licensintorg Soviet Trade and Commercial Interests and the Ministry of Health, Ukraine. He served as an advisor to the US-USSR Trade and Economic Council, Advisor to the Soviet Academy of Science, Pushkin Society of Moscow and the first American named to the All-Union (USSR) Society for Science and Medicine. He was honored into the Chemists Society (Stockholm and Helsinki). In 1981 he was nominated by NASA for the Rolex International Award for Innovation in Science and the Humanities.

As a third career, Harold became a well-respected marketing and media advisor, serving as a representative in professional in media management and as director of National Broadcast in New York and California media companies.

In his retirement years he devoted himself to building up local non-profits – focusing on marketing, websites, social media and general management. In cooperation with the Gardiner Foundation he worked with the East End Maritime Seaport Museum, Garden City Historical Society and Northport Historical Society. He enjoyed his years with Oysterponds Historical Society. His quirky blog “opusone media.blogspot.com” had a worldwide audience of music lovers.

Harold was predeceased by his father and mother and his sister, Mary Jane (Joseph) Flege of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The surviving family include his wife Deborah Simpson House; children Bernard “BJ” (Stav Birnbaum) Piel of Brooklyn, Jennifer (Kenneth) Bigora of Remsenberg, N.Y. and Jeffrey S. Piel of Greenport; and his brother, Michael House, of Colorado.

His beloved granddaughters Maya and Lila Piel and Abigail and Taylor Bigora and his beloved cat, Pita, also survive him.

Extended loving family includes nephews James (Sylvia) Pirillo, Peter (Jamie) Pirillo and Mark, David and Steven Flege.

Harold fought an 11-year battle with ALS. He leaves a powerful legacy, donating his body tissues to Columbia University Medical Center, The Eleanor & Lou Gehrig ALS Center to advance ALS research. That was his extraordinary act of love that will help future ALS warriors to Hope for a Cure.

A celebration of Harold’s life will be held in the spring.

Paid post