William Morris “Rob” Vogel

William Morris “Rob” Vogel passed away on January 29, 2023, at the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, CO.

Born March 25, 1950, in Laramie, WY, Rob grew up in Rock River with his older three half-siblings. He was an active child who spent a lot of his time with his parents who owned and operated the Vogel Lumber Yard and the Longhorn Motel & Restaurant. When it was time to check the cattle, he would accompany his maternal grandfather Harry Luckinbill on Mule #49. In the summer months, when visiting his Aunt Danna and Uncle Otto, who ran the Kleen Dairy in Elk Mountain, he was assigned fly-swatting duty, bringing in the cows to be milked and helping deliver milk and cream to customers.

In the early 1960’s WY winters became too much for Rob’s mother Gladys, so Bud, Rob’s father, purchased a motel in Brownsville TX, making their family of three, snowbirds. While attending Stella Junior High, in 1965 Rob broke the city record when he threw a shotput 48’ 10.5”. Living in Texas at the time meant football was everything. In high school, Rob was the starting defensive linebacker and captain for the Brownsville Eagles. They played the final state championship game in the Astro Dome. In his free time, Rob loved riding motorcycles with friends on both sides of the Rio Grande and spending time with his classmate who lived over the border in Mexico. After a hurricane, he took a job with an underwater welding company. The navy had sunk WWII ships to form an artificial reef. The crew he joined cut holes in the ships for safety and aesthetics. He loved the work (and the money), but not the little critters that got into his suit.

When the family returned to WY full-time, Rob finished high school at UW Prep where he was active in Future Farmers of America (FFA). He won a trip to Washington D.C. where he won a tool identification competition. Interstate 80 had opened by this time, circumventing all the small towns. The economy of Rock River plummeted. The Vogel family purchased the old Byrd’s Bait Shop in West Laramie and moved to Laramie. They built onto the existing building and in 1967 established The Boardwalk, a retail store with Native American artifacts, jewelry, and a gift shop. Later, they added a Tack and Saddlery Shop. Rob worked there for 52 years. After high school graduation in 1969, Rob and his friend Jim Routson spent a month hunting in British Columbia. That fall, he enrolled at the University of WY to seek his degree in Industrial Arts.

As an adult, Rob was active in his motorcycling club, which groomed the trail each year, until the Forest Service disallowed them to do so. He was also part of the Search and Rescue Team. As a hunter from childhood, he and his teammates were able to find lost people in the Medicine National Forest. He loved to hunt and pack in British Columbia and Alaska. He and his father packed enough animals home to fill an entire trophy room with elk, antelope, moose, caribou, bears, wolves, and mountain sheep to name a few. He was a certified welder. His knowledge of metallurgy led him to make and repair jewelry. Yet, his favorite work endeavor was to build harnesses. . In the 1970s, he was offered a position in Queen Elizabeth II’s harness shop. The Budweiser Clydesdales and the Channel 9 News team both owned and used Rob’s harnesses.

Rob married thrice. First to Marilyn Sturgeon in 1971, to Vickie (Moneypenny) Hackett in 1983, and to Crystal McWilliams in 2000. He and Vickie raised her two daughters together. On July 27, 1986, he, his friend Jerry Gillespie and his future son-in-law, Robert Oberle, were riding their motorcycles in the Arlington area when Rob hit a rock in the road. While the motorcycle had only a few dollars’ worth of damages, Rob became a C5-6 quadriplegic, paralyzing his hands and his body from the chest down. He rehabbed at Poudre Valley Hospital, while the Albany County community helped with fundraisers. No stranger to finding the right tool for the job, Rob used a plethora of adaptive aids, such as his tenodesis splints which enabled him to use his biceps to control hand movements. He was constantly finding ways to do what he wanted. He loved BBQing by himself, helping customers, running the cash register, and watering the garden. At the time of the accident, Rob was 36 years old. He was 72 years old at his passing; thus he spent just over half his life on wheels. He worked diligently not to be seen as disabled but as empowered to be the best he could be. He would say he had no regrets, but if he could be able-bodied for just one day, his dream was to “do an honest day’s work.”

Rob is survived by his wife Crystal, daughters Maxine (Robert) Oberle and Toni (Steve) Grayling, nine grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews, half-siblings Frank Vogel, Donna (Tommy) George and his best friend Jerry Gillespie.

He was proceeded in death by his parents William Sylvester “Bud,” and Gladys Effie (Luckinbill) Vogel, half-brother James Newton “Jim” Vogel, and infant sister Beverly Ann Vogel.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. February 25, 2023, at the Laramie Railroad Depot at 600 S. First Street, Laramie WY. A reception will immediately follow at the same location. For those unable to come in person, please join us via Zoom (ID # 919 928 5654 Passcode: 5GHExZ). In lieu of flowers, please donate to the World Central Kitchen (wck.org). This is the not-for-profit company that is providing meals to earthquake survivors in Turkey, or your favorite charity. Thank you.

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Chris Hogan

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