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Carl F. Manthei

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Williams College

Carl Manthei Obituary

Name: Memorial Gathering for Carl F. Manthei
Start: 2015-09-06T22:00:00.000Z
Location: Old Main Chapel on the C.U. Campus

Carl F. Manthei, attorney-at-law, Boulder, Co., died with a smile on his face and surrounded by love on July 26th, his 68th birthday. Born in Chicago, he was adopted at the age of two weeks by his loving parents, the distinguished theologian, Edward Manthei, and his wife Florence. They schooled him in the values of their faith as well as in music and literature. A man of astounding intelligence, Carl was a voracious reader of great books and history. He graduated from Williams College(BA) at the top of his class, and from D.U.(JD) which in turn led to a position of deputy assistant district attorney for Boulder, and then to a wide-ranging private practice that included criminal law, appeals, contracts and torts, and then to the Olilla Law Group. Carl was a fighter for civil rights, voting rights, and human rights. He was a frequent presence at meetings of the Boulder City Council, arguing in service of architectural and historical preservation, as well as serving for years on the Boards of the Boulder Public Library and the Boulder Homeless Shelter. He won a landmark patent case decision before the United States Supreme Court, but quipped that his most memorable legal case saw him winning an acquittal for a man accused of cattle rustling. In the last years of his life, he met and married Lindsey Dearborn, who not only gave him great joy, but unsparingly cared for him during his battle with cancer. He was predeceased by his parents, and his brother Pete Manthei. In addition to his beloved wife, Lindsey, he leaves behind a sister, Jean Manthei, of Colorado Springs, and myriad friends and colleagues who feel bereft at the loss of this gentle and generous man. A memorial party (as Carl requested) will be held Sunday, Sept. 6 at 4pm in the Old Main Chapel on the C.U. Campus in Boulder, where Carl's energetic dog, Nikki, pulled him around on their daily walks. A celebration/reception with stories, food, and libations will follow at The Koenig Alumni Center. Donations can be made in Carl's name to the Boulder Public Library or the Boulder Homeless Shelter. Carl's brilliance and caring heart will continue to resonate in the lives of all he touched. A GREAT MAN. GREATLY MISSED... Resquiscat in pace

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Denver Post from Aug. 7 to Aug. 9, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for Carl Manthei

Sponsored by The Denver Post.

13 Entries

Jean Manthei

December 5, 2023

I took this picture of Carl and Lindsey at a dinner in memory of our brother Peter. It captures Carl´s humor. It´s been 8 years since Carl has passed on and I greatly miss him. Carl had a brilliant logic and wit and it´s partly that logic that influenced me to specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy with clients-helping people to overcome thinking errors and negativity. Carl had a great impact on my own logic with respect to mental illness and overcoming my own thinking errors. If I engaged in any kind of magical thinking I would ask myself "What would Carl say to that? And I´d laugh." Carl had a good heart and a lot of depth and courage. He had to face a lot of pain in his life and he did so with courage and dignity. One Christmas he got the copyright for my book On Gratitude cause I couldn´t afford that. How many brothers would get a thoughtful gift like that? Sometimes I can hear the whispers and peace of my family in the Mandala Garden.

Carl in Thomas Jefferson High School Yearbook Hall of Fame. He was our Senior Class President.

John Wren

September 24, 2015

Bart Costello

August 31, 2015

We worked together at the Boulder DA's Office in the mid-70's. What a wit. And so smart.

I read his case, or tried to anyway: PHILLIPS V. AWH CORP, 415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005).

32 pages long. Carl must have had some really STRONG coffee to get through that stuff.

I miss him. Bart Costello

Dennis Frohlich

August 17, 2015

I was fortunate enough to know Carl professionally, as a business partner (he and I purchased and remodeled 745 Walnut) and as a friend. Intelligence, rapier wit and supreme lawyer were all attributes of Carl, but he was much more. Integrity is an elusive quality that many claim but fewer have. Carl had it. If Carl told you he would do something, you could consider it done even at his own expense of time, energy or funds. He carried his intelligence with ease but had the grace and wisdom not to lord it over others. And while he did not suffer fools well, he was not solipsistic or filled with hubris. That would have been foolish to Carl. Carl was passionate and compassionate, seasoned with a strong sense of justice, which he did not dilute by doing what was expedient. And he was insightful. I can remember one, among many, occasions where he and I were bemoaning an illogical ruling by a judge, and Carl said, Well, he lacks curiosity. That was an elegant way of saying what I was thinking, which was that the judge was a frigging idiot. Thank goodness Carl beat me to the punchline. His compassion for others was exemplified one last time on the day before he died when my wife, Cheryl, and I visited to say goodbye. She had been sick several days before and had not been able to attend a dinner with Lindsey and Carl in their home. Carl, who was clearly dying and slipping in and out of consciousness, looked up and said, How's Cheryl? She's better, my good friend. She's better.

Dennis R. Frohlich

John Wren

August 13, 2015

I knew Carl very well in high school, we were both on the wrestling team and members of a high school fraternity. Next time I saw him was 10 years ago for lunch with another friend of ours, it's very hard to believe there won't be another lunch with him. He was a great guy.

Katie Kingston

August 13, 2015

A true gentleman. With a wicked sense of humor. The world is a more dour place without him! Rest in peace, Carl. Katie & Bill Kingston

Rod Everling

August 13, 2015

I only "met" Carl through the stories I heard from his great friend Mel. It seems we lost another of the good guys with Carl's passing. My condolences to all who were fortunate enough to have met & loved this wonderful man.

Rod Everling

Brian Smith

August 12, 2015

While I only worked with Carl a short while in analyzing a patent infringement case it was clear he possessed great intellect and had a strong passion for the law. His passing is a great loss for those who knew him and for those like myself who didn't know him well but wish they had gotten to know him better.

Steven Meyrich

August 12, 2015

I miss my friend Carl ever day. Our years at 745 Walnut and our ongoing friendship were very special to me. We talked law, baseball, and the everything else. Carl was tough, loving, smart as a whip and had a great sense of humor. He is missed every day.

Steve Meyrich

August 10, 2015

Carl was a dear friend and mentor to me. He was there on my 21st birthday - about 30 years ago ... nursed me through surgery when I was a student at CU since I had no family in town and employed me along with his partners at 745 Walnut. As a boss, he taught me many things re: law; flew us all out for a long weekend to Boston and Martha's Vineyard as a bonus; helped with college credits and let me study at work. Many fun memories. Hikes, Tennis, 4Nikator Concerts, leaving to catch a matinee as a group during work, Slick the Pig ... etc. A great mentor and friend for many years. I will miss you Carl Manthei ... Your Buddy - Bonnie Cooper (Riley)

August 7, 2015

While I don't necessarily miss being a lawyer, I do miss the 15 years Carl and I spent together; first as young lawyers at the Boulder County DA's office and later in private practice at the 745 Walnut Partnership.

Whether we were working on a murder case, scuba diving in Mexico or escaping the clutches of a government mandated intourist guide so we could freely explore the Metro subway stations in Moscow, the common denominator was having fun.

I will never forget his wit, sense of humor and skill in areas ranging from analyzing the most complex legal cases to winning fights in the parking lot of Peggy's Hi-Lo Honky Tonk Bar.

An extraordinary man and friend; he will be missed.

Mel Tatsumi

Jane (Cracraft) Noah

August 6, 2015

What I remember most is Carl's sense of humor. When we'd walk into a Boulder restaurant for lunch, the college-student-age hostess would ask for a name to put on the waiting list. He would drop his voice and say, Haldeman or John Dean or Henry Kissinger. The young gals never reacted or asked if he was related to the famous person. The table would be announced for Henry Kissinger. I expect that any of his friends who were in the restaurant would think, Oh, Carl must be here. One Halloween he dressed for a costume party in a dark suit and applied a Gorbachev-shape of birthmark to the top of his bald head. He was even-tempered but competitive. The angriest I ever saw him was at a Bridge game, when a partner infuriated him. He stood up and insisted it was time to go home. He was a great friend and an important person in my life because he helped me make the transition from newspaper reporter to legal investigator in 1984 and hired me for my first case. He also passed the word to other trial lawyers. We worked together until he semi-retired. I was surprised and pleased to learn that he married late in life, but sad to think of him in failing health and then dying at a relatively young age.

August 6, 2015

So sorry to hear of the loss of a wonderful man who was there in a time of need in my life and gave me some great career direction. Terry Brady

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