Lawyer Joe Berenbaum, who worked on Denver’s first hour/wage dispute and on annexation cases, died Wednesday at 94.
Berenbaum was one of Denver’s oldest practicing attorneys when he was 87, according to a story in The Denver Post.
He retired when he was 89 “under pressure from his family,” said his family.
But he continued dropping in at the office of Berenbaum Weinshienk & Eason, the firm from which he retired. “When you work because you want to, not because you have to, it’s a lot more fun,” he told the Post in 2003.
Berenbaum won several awards: DU Outstanding Alumnus in 1996, Lifetime Honoree of the Colorado Bar Association, and the Judge Learned Hand Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee.
He had served as president of Jewish Family Service.
Berenbaum earned a reputation for “cool-headed legal sense,” according to the Post story.
As a lawyer he fought for annexations to Denver, which brought thousands of acres into Denver city limits. The actions didn’t sit well with everyone, he told the Post. “They either cursed me or not because I expanded a lot of this area.”
Berenbaum worked with his brother Zelie Berenbaum in the real estate and mortgage business in addition to practicing law.
Joseph Berenbaum was born in Rostern, Saskatchewan, Canada, on April 21, 1916, to Harry and Dona Berenbaum, who were Ukrainian immigrants. The family moved to Denver when he was 2 years old.
His first job was at a service station, and he told the Post that he was paid 60 cents for greasing a car and felt lucky if he got a 10-cent tip.
He graduated from North High School and earned his bachelor’s and law degrees at the University of Denver. He and his brother Mandel Berenbaum founded the law firm Berenbaum & Berenbaum.
He married Penny Braslow in 1948, and they went on a banana boat to Cuba for their honeymoon. According to family history, they had no honeymoon pictures because when Berenbaum took apart his camera, he put the lenses in wrong.
Berenbaum wasn’t in the habit of cooking, except on Sunday mornings, when he made salami omelettes.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Kay Berenbaum and Sandi Weber, and a son, Jim Berenbaum, all of Denver; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Mandel Berenbaum and Zelie Berenbaum.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
