Don Vogenthaler did a lot of things well, from being a forensic rehabilitation consultant to building a solar home and fixing cars.
Vogenthaler, 57, who died Aug. 11 at his Boulder home, spent many years consulting for attorneys representing people who had been injured in accidents.
Vogenthaler’s job was to determine how much the physical, mental or emotional injuries would cost the person in lost income over a lifetime.
“He was one of the top consultants in the country,” said Pete Ramirez, an Arvada lawyer who often hired Vogenthaler to compute the monetary losses his clients would suffer.
“He brought (to the cases) a special blend of psychologist and economist,” Ramirez said. “No detail escaped him. He was extremely intelligent and a forceful witness.”
Vogenthaler did cases in several states, and in one four-year period he worked on 98 cases, a third of which went to trial, Ramirez said.
Vogenthaler’s varied interests showed early.
At 16 he completely dismantled the family car, a 1949 Plymouth, repaired it and put it back together, said his wife, Beverly Rosenschein.
“He had an intellectual curiosity and mastered the discipline of learning,” said Ron Shay of Sarasota, Fla., a friend from college days.
With his work for Habitat for Humanity and The Brain Trust, which helps people with brain injuries, Vogenthaler “was on the side of the angels,” Shay said.
Donald R. Vogenthaler was born in Chicago on Dec. 13, 1948, and earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology after considering engineering, forestry and philosophy.
He earned a master’s in human relations services and a doctorate in rehabilitation at Illinois universities.
He trained hospice nurses, did alcohol and drug counseling, and taught in the rehabilitation department at Southern Illinois University before going into forensic work.
He married Beverly Rosenschein in 1979.
He designed and built their solar home in Boulder.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Madeline Vogenthaler of Boulder; a son, Alexander Vogenthaler of New York; two sisters, Jayne Vogenthaler and Leslie Yoder, both of Portland, Ore.; and two brothers, Bob Vogenthaler of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Charles V. Vogenthaler of Albuquerque.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at vculver@denverpost.com or 303-820-1223.
