Peter Kjeldgaard (Kelgard)          

              April 20, 1928 - May 18, 2017

                            Leisure World, Arizona

Peter Dean Kjeldgaard, of Leisure World, AZ passed away May 18, 2017 at the age of 89. He was born April 20, 1928 in Denver, CO to Holgar Christian and Alice Walsh [Dean] Kjeldgaard. Peter was a 1946 graduate of Palo Alto High School, a graduate from Stanford University in California where he was active in the NROTC program. Later Peter earned two masters degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School. During his freshman year at Stanford he met his then future wife, Norma Heck and married many years later.

Peter proudly served his country in the United States Navy beginning during the Korean War. His career at sea began on the destroyer USS John R. Craig; continuing on two minesweepers, the USS Hummer and the USS Pelican and concluding with a cruise on the USS Bennington. His shore career included working as an Engineering Duty Officer at Subic Bay and Hunters Point Shipyards. Every career includes time in DC, and Peter had three back-to-back assignments after which he was reassigned to SupShips in San Francisco. After 30 years in the Navy he retired at the rank of Captain.

Following his military career, he went on to work in civilian ship repair. In the summer of 1977 he and Norma Heck Buzzard married. The two spent the next 40 years together. He was very active in the Lion’s Club through Leisure World for 25 years as well as vision testing in local schools, working the voter booths during the elections among other activities. He was also a member of the LW Lapidary Club and the Architectural Control Committee. For 23 years he worked with a tax program for low income people through AARP.

Peter and Norma would spend at least two to four weeks a year on vacations enjoying more than 25 cruises together, including several times through the Panama Canal. In Leisure World their home was known as the one with the “orchid greenhouse” having more than 250 plants on their patio.

Peter is survived by his loving wife, Norma; daughters, Christine Havnar and Karen Sellers (Richard); sons, David Kjeldgaard and his wife Lee Zimmerman and Ned Kjeldgaard and his wife, JoAnna Kamppi; step-son, Tom Buzzard; grandchildren, Charles Havnar and his wife Gretel, Christopher Kjeldgaard, Kathryn Quinlan (Joe), Kimberly Sellers, Michael Sellers, Hailey Kjeldgaard and Caroline Kjeldgaard as well as his great grandchildren, Ernesto Palacios, Nathan and Sophia Havnar, Jensyn and Karston Quinlan. Peter will be dearly missed.