Carolyn Christianson, a longtime Alaska resident, cat-fan extraordinaire and a well-respected Valley bookkeeper, died Wednesday, Dec. 4, at the Evergreen Hospice Care Center in Kirkland, Wash. She was 77 years old when she passed with comfort and care.

Born in Minneapolis, Minn. on Sept. 9, 1947, Carolyn moved to the Pacific Northwest with her mother, father and sister at age 4. She graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma in 1965 before working as a secretary at various Seattle companies.

She moved to Alaska in 1972 and married James Christianson in 1973. Following their divorce in 1980, Carolyn worked many jobs as a single mom raising her son, William. She started her own business, Valley Bookkeeping, in 1984. She overcame several surgeries because of Crohn’s disease to become an accounting force for her clients, many of them in the construction field. She retired in 2010 but continued to help her friends and former clients with their taxes and personal accounting.

A gardening enthusiast, Carolyn was often seen pulling weeds and planting tomato plants at her Memory Lakes home of 40 years in Wasilla. She absolutely loved her pets, especially her many cat pet companions over the years. Carolyn would spend many sunny afternoons late in her life, pushing her pet cat Magic in her cat stroller around the cul-de-sac while visiting with neighbors and friends. She was able to spend her final days with her beloved black cat, Magic, at an assisted living facility in Seattle, where she stayed before her passing.

Carolyn is survived by her son, William (Holly), her cat, Magic, her grandsons Blake and Frank. She is preceded in death by her father, Robert DeZurik, mother, Janet Bramer and sister Cheryl Martin.

A Celebration of Life will be held in January at William’s residence in Washington and another service will be held at a later date in Alaska. Donations can be made to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation in the name of Carolyn.