William Francis Schoeberlein

William Francis Schoeberlein died at age 87 on April 25, 2020 of natural causes at his home in Louisville, Colorado. Bill was known for his love of outdoor adventure, travel, and family, and his amiability and generosity. He was a distinguished Denver-based attorney practicing labor and employment law for more than 50 years.

Born in Watertown, NY, on November 23, 1932 to George Adam and Clara (Benarwic) Schoeberlein, Bill was the second of four children. His brother Jimmy, who was just a year older, died at age six. Devoted to athletics, Bill was a football player and wrestler at Charlotte High School in Rochester, NY.  The first in his family to complete high school, he graduated second in his class and was awarded a full scholarship to Harvard. He completed a BA at Harvard College in 1955 and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1958, graduating cum laude from both.

Following law school, Bill moved to Denver to join Dawson, Nagel, Sherman and Howard. One of the first labor and employment attorneys in Colorado, he represented both private and public sector employers.  In 1991, Bill joined Otten, Johnson, Robinson, Neff and Ragonetti and concluded the final years of his law practice with Littler Mendelson.

Bill was deeply committed to pro-bono legal practice, dedicating countless hours to community service. For many years, he worked as part of the legal team representing Hispanic farmers and ranchers in southern Colorado successfully fighting to restore their right to use the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant in Lobato vs. Taylor (1981-2018). He received the 2004 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for his work on this case. For him, service to this legal team was the highlight of his career, and Bill was proud to join a celebration of the case in San Luis, Colorado this past fall.

An avid outdoorsman, scuba diver and world traveler, Bill became a member of the Colorado Mountain Club in 1959. He climbed all the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado, as well as Mt. Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Kenya and Tanzania and the three highest volcanoes in Mexico. He hiked throughout the southwest beginning in the 1960s and rafted most major western rivers, including the Grand Canyon of the Colorado river seven times. Bill was a leader in local efforts to preserve open space and volunteered in multiple roles at Mount Vernon Country Club in Golden where he lived from 1970-2014. In later years, he served as President of the Colorado Mountain Club Foundation and Chairman of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the Explorer’s Club. Bill was a member of the Unitarian Church in Denver and Lafayette. He moved to Balfour Senior Living in Lafayette in 2014 and was an active and engaged member of the community.

Bill was married to Elizabeth (Coleman) Schoeberlein from 1953 to 1967.  Together they had three children: geologist Elizabeth Dirth, architect Joseph Schoeberlein and anthropologist John Schoeberlein. He was married to Janet (Southworth) Schoeberlein from 1968-2008. Together they had one child: nonprofit director Lara Beaulieu. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his brother James and his grandson George Dirth. He is survived by his four children and their partners (Brian Bevirt, Judy Margolis, Jeanne Féaux de la Croix and Lenny Beaulieu) and six grandchildren—Elizabeth Dirth and Raphael, Mirelle, Mahru, Kanat and Sitora Schoeberlein. He is survived by his partner Roz Squires, brother Raymond Schoeberlein (Nancy), sister Carolyn Rittenhouse and three nieces and three nephews.

A memorial will be planned in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in his memory to his favorite charities, Colorado Mountain Club and Colorado Public Radio.