The Bagpiper and His Brother (6) Update: Who Was Harold Pieper?

Hey guys, this is an update episode for Season 13, The Bagpiper and His Brother.

Since I released Season 13, I've heard from a surprisingly large number of people who knew the players in this story.

Both those who met or knew the Bagpiper, Lloyd Brenna of Edina, and some people who knew Harold Piper, the man almost killed by that bomb, which the Bagpiper and his brother flew to here on South Dakota late one night in June of 1971.

Today, I want to share some delightful conversations I had with people who knew Harold Piper.

I'll be back on a different day to share with you some darker things I've learned about Lloyd Brenna.

For now, though, let's enjoy a refreshing break from the dark side and learn some things that are more positive and lighthearted.

Let's learn more about Harold Piper.

If you've listened to the podcast, you know that the bomb that exploded in his car caused Harold to lose hearing and eyesight on his right side.

And perhaps you'll also recall that he later married a woman named Lois Bunt in 1973.

Harold was 50 years old at the time, and it was his first marriage.

He died in 1996 at the age of 74, and his obituary made no mention of his marriage to Lois.

So in the podcast, I mentioned that I wondered if their marriage had been short-lived.

Well, I've since learned much more about Harold and Lois.

Lois had children of her own from a previous marriage.

I was both excited and a little apprehensive to talk to Harold's stepdaughters.

I was very excited to ask them what it's like to wake up one morning and find out there's a podcast about someone who was a part of your life.

I was apprehensive about something else, though.

While working on this season, I knew that Harold Piper was a victim, but that's about all I knew.

Part of me wondered, was this guy, Harold, even a good person in the first place? And now a new question has popped up.

Did Harold Piper blow a million bucks on Barbie dolls? Let's dive in.