By Rebecca Goodman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Dr. Irvin Dunsky's waiting room was a wondrous place.

Filled with stuffed owls, a big rug that depicted a bald eagle and a fairytale painting called "World of Make Believe," it was a comforting and fascinating place for even the sickest child waiting to see "Dr. Dunky," as some called him.

With his quiet and gentle manner, expert handling of frightened patients and endless supply of lollipops, Dr. Dunsky was so well regarded that many begged to be kept on as his patients even after passing the cut-off age of 21. He cared for three generations of many families.

Dr. Dunsky, 84, who practiced in his Bond Hill office from 1947 until his retirement in 1996, died Mar. 8.

His family described him as an "old-fashioned" doctor who never acquiesced to pressures to join a group practice or yield to insurance company constraints.

"Sundays, holidays, evenings and middle-of-the-night did not exist for Dr. Dunsky if a child needed him," said his daughter, Tara Wayne of Barcelona, Spain. "His care and devotion to his young patients knew no bounds. He was interested in every bump and bruise and would ask about everything."

On staff at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center for more than 48 years, he was a loyal attendee of grand rounds, professor rounds and staff meetings. The hospital named him emeritus clinical professor of pediatrics when he retired. Dr. Dunsky was also on staff at Good Samaritan, Christ, Bethesda and Mercy hospitals.

He grew up in Avondale and was a student at Walnut Hills High School when he won a scholarship to study in Israel. He was graduated from Beth Hamidrash L'Morim Mizrachi Teachers College in Jerusalem in 1935.

He was also a 1939 graduate of the University of Cincinnati and received his M.D. degree from the UC College of Medicine in 1943.

Dr. Dunsky served internships at the Metropolitan Hospital in New York City and the Municipal Contagious Disease Hospital in Chicago.

He completed residencies in pediatrics and pathology at the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. While there he wrote articles on congenital biliary cirrhosis, resistant rickets and potassium bromate poisoning for the American Journal of Diseases of Children, the Journal of Pediatrics, and the Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.

In 1947, Dr. Dunsky set up his practice at 5316 Reading Road in Bond Hill and that's where it remained for the next 49 years. For 16 years, the office was managed by his wife, Clare.

From 1953-1955, Dr. Dunsky was a captain in the Army and a pediatrician at the Fort Myer Dispensary in Arlington, Va., and as private pediatrician to the son of Gen. M.B. Ridgway, Army chief of staff, and children of top brass.

To relax, Dr. Dunsky enjoyed reading, attending the theater, and following the Reds and Bengals.

He was president of the Cincinnati Pediatric Society in 1962.

In addition to his daughter, survivors include: Clare, his wife of 42 years; and a son, Kevin Dunsky of New York, N.Y.

Services have been held. Interment was at United Jewish Cemetery.

Memorials: Chabad, 1636 Summit Road, Cincinnati 45237; Hospice of Cincinnati, 4310 Cooper Road, Cincinnati 45242, or a charity of the donor's choice.

E-mail rgoodman@enquirer.com