A graduate of the Wayland Academy, at Princeton he majored in architecture. He was active in the Chapel Choir, served as president of the Tigertones, and belonged to Key and Seal. He roomed with Bill Heaton, Bill Paxton, and Dick Zahn.
After two years in the Navy, he attended the University of Illinois, where he earned a master’s of architecture degree with honors in 1955. That same year, he and Eileen Norcross were married.
For four years he practiced architecture in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before joining C.S. Norcross & Sons in Bushnell, Ill., as vice president in charge of sales. In 1967 he founded the manufacturing company Midwest Control Products Corp.
By 1993 his son Mark had succeeded him as president of the company, while Karl remained as chairman of the board. He and Eileen and their boys loved sailing their 42-foot Whitby ketch the Windsong. They retired to Naples, Fla.
Karl died June 12, 2015, in Bushnell of pancreatic cancer. He is survived by Eileen, sons Philip and Mark, daughter Laura Millar, and their families. His brother, Arthur, predeceased him.