Thomas Eaton Dunbar

Thomas Eaton Dunbar passed away peacefully on Sunday, October 30 after a long and courageous battle with appendiceal cancer. Tom is known for having taken some of the worst that life can offer and channeling that to make a true difference in the world. Tom was born June 8, 1957, in East Lansing, Michigan to Wallace H. Dunbar and Ellen (Thomas) Dunbar. After his family moved to Louisville, he attended Wilder, Chenoweth, and Kentucky Country Day schools. He was an impressive athlete in high school, excelling in track and field as well as football. He still holds a school football single game rushing record. He was a member of Kentucky's first state championship soccer team. After high school, Tom graduated from Albion College. After working briefly as a financial analyst for BATUS, Tom returned to school and attended Indiana University, graduating with a master's degree in Business Administration. After his graduation, Tom went to work for Vermont American Corporation where he ultimately became the President of Vermont American, Canada. In 1994, Tom was blessed with a son, Evan Dunbar. Unfortunately, Evan was diagnosed with neuroblastoma cancer in 1999 and passed away in 2001. In 2009, Tom's father died of melanoma and in 2019 Tom was diagnosed with his own cancer. In the wake of his son's death, Tom became a tireless advocate for the elimination of childhood cancer, forming the Evan Dunbar Foundation to end childhood cancer, becoming the Chairman of the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, lobbying and speaking before Congress on the subject of childhood cancer, and raising millions of dollars for cancer research. For the past two decades, Tom was a steadfast and transformative philanthropist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Cancer Center where his son Evan received care, helping clinician scientists unlock new understandings of the molecular and genetic mechanisms of solid tumor cancer, resulting in the development of brand-new CAR-T therapies for aggressive cancers in children and adults. Tom's recent efforts included the creation of the Dunbar Car-T cell program at the University of Louisville Brown Cancer Center to provide chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapies to patients in Louisville and the Midwest.
Tom was named as Louisville's 2021 Philanthropist of the year for his generosity and philanthropic leadership by the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Tom also definitely had a fun side. He was the past Chairman of the Louisville Boat Club. He was a scuba diver, an avid skier, and a private pilot. He had a significant acting career, sharing a stage with Tom Hanks, Christina Applegate, Rip Torn, Michael Chiklis, William Shatner, and others. Tom and some family and friends raced a car in the Baja 500 and Baja 1000, winning the Best in the Desert series in their class.
In addition to his parents, Tom is predeceased by his son, Evan Thomas Joseph Dunbar and his brother, Jonathan Everett Dunbar.
Tom leaves behind a loving family consisting of his beloved wife, Dr. Stephanie Altobellis, whose expertise saved Tom's life on numerous occasions, her sons Vincent and Salvatore, his son Sergey Dunbar (Lauren), his daughter Allysa Dunbar (and her fiancée Christian Deerman), his brother Wallace H. Dunbar Jr. (Stefanie), sisters Martha D. Hall (Tom), Laura J. Dunbar, Sarah D. Parker (Duane), five nieces and nephews and three grandchildren, Charlotte, Caroline, and Cora Dunbar and his stepdaughter, April Gastinger. The family wishes to extend their most sincere thanks to the people who helped care for Tom for the last two years. They are Sandra (Sandie) Winters, Calena Caudill, Miranda Hernly, Vicky Lowry, Susan Felts, and Dr. Michael Driscoll.
Funeral Service will be held at 12:00 noon Tuesday November 8, 2022 at Second Presbyterian Church 3701 Old Brownsboro Road with private burial to follow at Cave Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be 4-7 PM Monday November 7, 2022 at Pearson's 149 Breckinridge Lane.
lieu of flowers, the family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of contributions in Tom's honor to the Dunbar Car-T cell program at the University of Louisville Brown Cancer Center, c/o Elea Fox, 15th Floor, Rudd Center, 201 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville Kentucky 40202.
Arrangements under the direction of Pearson's, "Where Louisville Goes To Remember".