Carl Peter Ingvoldstad
Sept. 23, 1938 — Aug. 27, 2023

“The mind of each man is the man himself.” — Decorah HS 1956

HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. — Carl Peter Ingvoldstad, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away on Aug. 27, 2023, from complications of Parkinson’s disease with his loving wife holding his hand.

He was 84 years old and had enjoyed a very full life.

Carl Peter (CP) was born to Kenneth and Dagmar (Madsen) Ingvoldstad on Sept. 23, 1938, in Decorah, Iowa.

He was the middle son with older brother Bill and younger brother Paul. His parents and siblings predeceased him in death.

CP was an Eagle Scout at age 13 and enjoyed the Scouts with his father. After graduating from Decorah High School in 1956, he proudly graduated from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, his parents’ alma mater, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and history, later earning his master’s degree in logistics management and studying for his doctorate in higher education management at Denver University.

Graduating in 1960 as the Distinguished Military Graduate (DMG) with a commission in the U.S. Air Force, he began his 27-year military career in Diyarbakir, Turkey.

He served at many bases during his career including Germany and Denmark plus the continental US.

He married Jacqueline Bechtol with whom he had two daughters, Karen Rae and Amber Kay. They divorced in 1980.

In 1994 he found that certain special person, a Norsk/Swede, and in 1996 married Mary Beth Langord Morton (MB) whom he met through the Sons of Norway in Colorado Springs, Colorado where they became folk dance partners.

CP retired from the Air Force in 1987 as a lieutenant colonel and became a project manager for government contractors on Johnston Island, in Florida and California.

When that career was over, he became an insurance professional with Sons of Norway for eight years.

He never lost his love of learning new things and going to school.

After living in Jacksonville, Florida, and Lompoc, California, MB and CP designed and had their home built in 2000 in Hidden Valley Lake, California, and have enjoyed their life together in quiet Lake County.

They started a new Sons of Norway Lodge, Vikings of Lake, in 2005 and the entire international organization became like a family to the two.

CP was a president of his Lodge, District Six Zone 1 director, District Six Recreation Center board member/vice president/secretary and Sons of Norway Foundation director representing his district.

He was a Golden Member of Sons of Norway and was very proud of his Norwegian and Danish heritage. He was also a life member of the Elks.

They joined Galilee Lutheran Church in Kelseyville soon after moving to Lake County. They found a wonderful family there, too. He enjoyed singing in his church, served as a worship assistant, was a member of the Church Council and director of the Adopt-a-highway program.

He had a wonderful voice and loved performing karaoke for over 30 years.

His other great loves were his sports teams: Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Dodgers. After retirement he missed very few games and was fiercely loyal his whole life to these three teams.

CP and MB both loved to travel and so they did. They cruised on a Scandinavian Dance Cruise, through the Mediterranean, Russia, China, from Vienna to Amsterdam, around Norway, Denmark, Iceland and the Faeroe Islands, between Australia/New Zealand, and the Galápagos Islands.

They “road tripped” in Scotland/England, many parts of Europe, Norway, Sweden and Denmark plus many trips to Sons of Norway conventions and lodge activities throughout the continental U.S., even renting RVs at times to switch it up a bit. Kauai, Hawaii was also a favorite destination.

CP is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Mary Beth; daughter, Lt. Col. (ret.) Karen Madsen and her partner Jim, of Albuquerque, New Mexico; daughter, Amber Kay Ingvoldstad of Rio Rancho, New Mexico; granddaughter, Shannon Ford of Michigan; grandson Sean Ford of Colorado Springs, Colorado; step-grandson, John Ford of Austin, Texas, and his wife Julia and their daughter Emma.

Thank you to the Lake County Hospice Services, Pastor Julie Webb of Galilee Lutheran Church, and Sequoia Senior Solutions caregiver Sherry for all the support given to CP and MB.

A celebration of life will be held at Galilee Lutheran Church, 8860 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, on Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.

Interment will be at Decorah Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah, Iowa on Sept. 30 at 10 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation in Carl Peter’s name to the Sons of Norway Foundation at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..