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Harry Paul Greenwald
1948-2026
Obituary
Harry Paul Grenwald passed away on September 17, 2026. He was 78 years old.
Harry often joked he lived hisl life in reverse. He was born and raised in Miami Beach and lived the latter half of his life in Brooklyn. He was a national debate champion in high school and college, but afterwards was never known to argue with anyone again. After graduating from the University of Chicago, Harry moved to rural Massachusetts, where his family relocated, and worked for a local newspaper and radio station, covering everything from sports to crime. He then worked for a local state legislator in Boston. After serving as staff director for the Massachusetts Senate Ethics Committee,he decided that was a noxymoron and left politics for business. Working nights to get an MBA, he became the invaluable CFO and COO of a series of small firms in the business-to-business publishing industry in New York City, including a firm tracking genomics, GenomeWeb. His final job was CFO of the American Associates of Ben-Gurion University, where he was proud to raise funds for the university in Israel.
Harry's gentleness and kindness were apparent to anyone who met him. Underneath his unassuming manner was a respected leader and a man with an impressive wide range of interests and knowledge, encompassing history, poitics, business and sports. Harry was unfailingly, impeccably, organized, and he was equally skilled at home repairs, being as handy with a screwdriver and a hammer as he was with spreadsheets and financial ledgers. Surprising everyone, including himself, he found a creative side as an adult. He spun a long-running saga of original bedtime stories that delighted his chidren for years. He became a found-object scuptor, crafting amusing figures and tableaus from pill bottles, kitchen equipment and odd bits of metal. His mind and his memory were legendary. To the very end,he was doing NY Times word games and puzzles, beating his family members at Scrabble, and playing competitive bridge online with his longtime bridge partner, Glenn. Not to mention remembering passwords and correcting the names and dosages of medications from his hospitall bed.
Despite growing up in a secular household, Harry found deep meaning and value in the community the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue. After serving as treasurer and president, he remained a devoted and highly regarded member fo the finance committee until the end of his ife.
Harry passed away from lung cancer after living with Parkinson's Disease for nearly 20 years. He faced both conditions with grace and good spirits and never once complained.
He is survived by his wife, Babette Krolik; his cheldren, Sara Rafsky (Christopher Harrision), Nathaniel Greenwald, and Julia Greenwald; son by affection, HN; granddaughter Helena Rafsky-Harrision; and much-loved siblings, in-laws, nieces and nephews.
Donations in Harry's honor may be sent to the Parkinson's Foundation, the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, or the donor's charity of choice.
Please consider making a donation to the following charity:
The Parkinson's Foundation
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Margie Schulman
Submitted by John Schmelzer October 3, 2026
In Memory of Harry Greenwald
I am saddened to tell you that our classmate, Harry Greenwald, died on September 17th in Brooklhyn, NY. His wife and three children were with him when he passed.
At Beach High, Harry was known for his intellect.
He won various national debate tournaments and brought nationwide recognition to our school. Harry continued to be a champion national debater in college at Georgetown before transferring to and graduating from the Universithy of Chicago. After graduation, Harry worked for several Massachusetts legislators before serving as the Staff Director for the Massachusetts State Ethics Committee. Harry went to school at nights to get an MBA in order to make a career change to the business world. He then served as the CFO of a series of small corporations in the business to business publishing industry. Harry's last professional job was to serve as the CFO of the American Asociation of Ben-Gurion University, one of the premier Israeli universities.
Harry wil be remembered as very smart and thoughful. In addition to that, he was a kind and generous man who enjoyed a warm family life. He was a devoted husband and loving father to his three children and had a strong relationship with his brothers and sister. This past year, he was thrilled to welcome his first grandchild.
WE have lost a good man.
Portia Derry (Brown)
Harry was indeed a good man. Ever a gentleman. He could always make a point without antics... just calmly and simply stating the facts of a matter. At the fiftieth reunion he seemed lighter than the mature young man I knew in high school debate and he even commented about living life backwards. I know he was enjoying life fully. He stands as one who did good work but also as one who ultimately set an example for all of us to relish the life we have.
Ken Feldman
I only recall Harry from Beach Hi. As John described, Harry was really a role model for kindness, gentleness and a really smart guy who I wish did my homework for me. Sadly we continue to see more and more of our classmates show up here on the "In Memory" page. Looking forward to the 60th Reunion next month and possibly seeing many for the last time. On the bright side, its great that so many are registered to show up. Cya all soon and prayers to Harry's family.
Ellen Silver (Gottlieb Israel)
Harry was a kind and gentle soul. You could see how bright Harry was even in high school, just by looking at him. I think I speak for all of us who knew Harry, heWill be missed.
Buck Goldstein
Harry was my debate partner for two years. At Beach High, debate was taken seriously and we had to spend summers at Georgetown University getting ready for the upcoming season.That is to say, we spent a lot of time together. I learned an important life lesson from the partnership. Find partners that are smarter than you, and lean into their abilities. Harry was a smart dude, highly organized and loved details. He was a dream come true for someone like me. We won a lot more debates than we lost.
The lesson about picking partners I learned from Harry carried over to almost everything I've done since high school. My wife Kay clearly fits the bill. She was always the smartest kid in the class. I've written two books with my friend Holden who for a time held the record for time to completion of the Rubicks cube and is a world renowned chemist. I could go on and on. I realized today, it all began with Harry and for that I am very grateful.