From
The Tulsa World. In the picture, Chuck Laenger holds an alphabet message scanner in May 1981 for a patient who, using just teeth, manipulates an electrical switch. The switch turns on a light in each box.
PLANO, Texas — A gifted gardener who kept a vineyard in his backyard, Chuck Laenger had a green thumb that was just as good with uprooted lives.
The longtime Tulsa resident was director of rehabilitation engineering for many years at Hillcrest Medical Center, where he dedicated his career to helping quadriplegics regain some of their independence.
A biomedical engineer who believed everyone should have a chance at a fruitful life, Laenger custom-designed tools to help quadriplegics and other severely disabled people with home- and work-related tasks.
Charles Julius "Chuck" Laenger died Saturday at the age of 81. A memorial service is set for 11 a.m. Jan. 16 at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Plano, Texas.
One of Laenger's success stories involved ex-Oklahoma State University All-American wrestler Ray Murphy, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a wrestling accident.
Laenger equipped Murphy with a wheelchair, a portable respirator and a computer he could operate by mouth. The former athlete went on to become a computer programmer.
Five of Laenger's inventions were patented, including an exercise device that electrically stimulates paralyzed legs.
His work didn't stop when he left Hillcrest's Kaiser Rehabilitation Center, however.
The engineer's wife, Lolisa Laenger, recalled a visit to their home by a man who had been injured in a bicycle accident. The man had lost much of the grip in his left hand, she said.
"He mentioned how frustrating it was that he couldn't trim his own fingernails anymore," Lolisa said. "Well, Chuck got to thinking and that very afternoon came up with a device that allowed him to do that. He told Chuck years later that he was still using it."
Laenger's stepson, Phil Haney of Tulsa, remembers thinking that his stepfather, who was always tinkering with homemade gizmos, was a little eccentric.
"One time he showed me this bizarre tree-trimming device that he had rigged up to operate from a remote distance," Haney said. "It all struck me as odd and goofy."
But Haney now sees Laenger's quirks as evidence of a passionate and innovative spirit.
"He was a person who was always alive to possibilities, which is where all good ideas begin," Haney said. "And he devoted his great mind to helping those people who can't enjoy the basic pleasures in life."
Even when Laenger was dying with cancer, he never talked about himself, Haney said.
Born in Shreveport, La., Laenger grew up in east Texas and never lost his native drawl, family members said.
In addition to gardening, Laenger enjoyed writing poetry and essays.
Survivors include his wife, Lolisa; sons Charles Laenger Jr. and Terry Laenger; stepchildren Caren Haney Haeusser, Phil Haney, Barbara Haney and Greg Moores; three grandchildren; seven step-grandchildren; a great-granddaughter; and two brothers, Richard and Kenneth Laenger.
From The Tulsa World. In the picture, Chuck Laenger holds an alphabet message scanner in May 1981 for a patient who, using just teeth, manipulates an electrical switch. The switch turns on a light in each box.