Ingrid was born to Mons & Ingeborg Nodvedt in Manger Norway. She grew up on the family farm with her sister Gudrun and two brothers Ole and Ivar. She helped tend to the farm animals and crops. The idyllic farm life was disrupted in April 1940 when Germany invaded Norway. When armed Nazi soldiers search the farm and the house where Ingrid was sleeping upstairs, it left an indelible imprint on her memories. Ingrid told this story many times with an emotional tone that you could tell she was reliving the event. After the war ended, she took on the caring for her father until his death.
In 1948 family and friends encouraged her to go stay with her Aunt and Uncle living in Portland, Oregon USA. Ingrid boarded a freighter/passenger ship for a trip across the Atlantic Ocean to New York USA. She said the seas were anything but calm, but the Norwegian passengers had fun eating and socializing. After arriving in America, Ingrid continued on to Portland Oregon by train. Ingrid only knew a few words of English. She enrolled in language school where she met many other students. Some of the Scandinavian students became lifelong friends. Ingrid found employment with the Swedish consulate, a cannery, and working in a bakery. Her circle of friends with ties to Scandinavia grew and frequently attended dances at Norse Hall. She met her husband Lloyd Wesley Strandholm at one of the social gatherings. They dated and were married on June 16, 1951.
Ingrid’s family now included his parents Emil and Emilia Strandholm, sisters Fran (Dawson) and Thelma (Johnson) and brother Edgar. They built a house just north of his parent’s house. They started a family with a daughter Sonja (Brown) and later a son Mark. That house became too small and they built another house to the west adjacent to his parent’s house with the help of family and friends. Life was good until 1957 when an accident on the docks of Portland injured her husband Lloyd. This event caused Ingrid to become a caretaker for her husband,
In 1958 Ingrid learned to drive for the first time. Ingrid became a US Citizen. The Strandholm family home held many gatherings for the growing family of nieces and nephews, friends, and travelers from Norway and Sweden. She joined her sisters in law and friends with the Do Nothing Club and the Golden Girls. Her daughter Sonja married David Brown and had three children (Jacob, Jonas, and Nils), Her son Mark married Jeanne Merz and had two children, Steve (w. Jessee Sisk) and Rachel (h. James Peoples). Rachel’s children include Kaleb, Laila, Maysen, James Jr.
Ingrid lived in the family home until February 2020 when her health made living alone not possible. Ingrid moved to Morningstar of Happy Valley and became friends with staff and other residents. Ingrid’s heart condition grew worse and Hospice took over her care. Ingrid died in her sleep on December 4, 2022.
A committal service for Ingrid will be held Friday, February 17, 2023 from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt Scott Blvd, Happy Valley, OR 97086. Following the committal service will be a memorial service from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Ross Hollywood Chapel, 4733 NE Thompson St, Portland, OR 97213 with a reception to follow.
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