Farewell to "the fudge lady"

The Valley lost a notable friend earlier this month. Carolyn Gholson, 59, died Nov. 15 at her home in Palmer.

Gholson was best known by her nickname, "The Fudge Lady" which she earned while selling homemade fudge along Valley sidewalks.

Gholson was often seen along South Alaska Street in Palmer near the old railroad depot and in Wasilla outside the post office, wearing a sandwich board to advertise her fudge, which came in flavors such as double chocolate peanut butter and milk chocolate macadamia nut.

"She was basically a pretty shy person, but when she was out there selling fudge she wasn't shy at all," said Sally Weiland, one of Gholson's friends. "People would honk and smile and she would come back from that glowing."

Gholson once told the Frontiersman that she had, in the past, sought a doctor's help from back pain caused by too much waving from sidewalks.

Gholson retired to Palmer in 1991 with her sister-in-law, Edith Erika.

The pair bought a house together, where they spent time making fudge and art. Gholson was a painter and both women did wood carvings. The pair sold their crafts at the Saturday Market, along with imported Russian crafts and, of course, the homemade fudge.

"She called it 'affordable art,'" Erika said. "She said she wanted to give the tourists a break so they could take something home from Alaska."

Erika said Gholson discovered a passion for drawing and painting following her retirement from a state job in Bethel.

"She dabbled in art in Bethel. But she used to say, 'I can't even draw a stick man,'" Erika said. During the last three years Gholson was not only drawing, but painting in oils, ink and watercolors. Her favorite subject was Alaskan landscapes.

Weiland said Gholson always saw things with an artist's eye.

"She didn't just stick with drawing and painting. She carved. She would press flowers," Weiland said. "Anything to do with nature she loved -- I think if she saw green grass she would just as soon lay down on it to absorb it all in."

Gholson died from liver complications associated with a hepatitis C infection, according to Erika. Her last days were made more comfortable by Hospice of Mat-Su, Erika said.

"There was time for us to get all of her wishes together," Erika said.

Gholson's surviving family members live out of state but will be visiting in June for a celebration of her life and a picnic at Hatcher Pass, according to Erika. Erika said Gholson left a message for her neighbors in the Valley.

"She didn't want an obituary, but she asked that we tell them, 'The Fudge Lady says goodbye,'" she said.