Carl Ingebertson

 

I want to share some thoughts about Carl Ingebertson, a longtime member who passed away on December 31, 2020 in his 93^rd year.  He had a wonderful and successful life.  Hopefully, in the next few minutes, I can bring back memories of those of us who knew him, and introduce the type of person he was to those who did not. 

 

I met Carl in 1975 when I entered the insurance business.  Carl was already a 25 year veteran.  Needless to say, he became my mentor, but above all though, he was a close personal friend to the day he passed away.  Carl, his wife Betty, Louise and I were like the Four Amigos. 

 

Carl was born in Toronto and became a ward of The Children’s Aid Society at age 3.  Fortunately, his foster parents were loving, supportive and instilled in him the values of hard work, community, involvement and family.  That became the foundation of his life. 

 

He moved to Brampton in 1950 and built a rock solid business over 50 years.  He received several recognitions in his career.  The major one was when he was inducted into The Mutual Life of Canada’s Hall of Fame.  Very few are selected.  It was not awarded for business success only, but for Carl’s community and church endeavors.  A corporate donation of $10,000 was made to the charity of his choice.  He decided to establish The Carl Ingebertson Bursary Award through The Children’s Aid Society in order to give back.  The Rotary Club of Brampton also donated.  It is now part of The Brampton Caledon Community Foundation.  It is awarded annually to a ward of The Children’s Aid to help defray post-secondary education costs.  The recipients will probably not know who Carl was, but his legacy will live on.  

 

Carl sponsored me into Rotary in 1980 and became my mentor there as well. He was a public speaker, punster, and poet at times.  He devoted himself to Brampton sports organizations, Life Underwriters Associations, politics at all three levels, Grace United Church, and chaired the development of Grace Court Senior Apartments. To top it off, he was a huge Blue Jays and Maple Leaf fan.

 

Carl was an ambassador of Rotary since his induction in 1967.  He was a past-President and Paul Harris Fellow.  He lived and breathed Rotary ideals.  Carl resigned from the club, but it was not to take it easy.  He turned his attention and skills to Probus.  He served on the local and national boards and was instrumental in establishing many clubs.  You could always see Carl sporting a T-shirt, hat or both of Rotary, Probus or Blue Jays.