Carol Nicholson Fryberger lived her life with generosity, humility, empathy, selflessness, clarity of thought, courage, and a strong sense of purpose. Her 86 years were centered around caring for others, championing their achievements and guiding them through their challenges. She rarely spoke of herself and generally shunned recognition. Granted, she could be a tough and astute critic, but always did so with love. To her four children, she embodied the saying “Stay Calm and Carry On.” Carol was the rock in our family who provided safe harbor during stormy times, yet was always the wind in our sails.
She was born on September 1, 1939 in Burlington, Vermont to Diana and Elmer “Nick” Nicholson, the eldest of their four children. Her formative high school years were spent in Newington, CT where she proved to be an excellent student, top notch golfer and a hard worker.
In 1952, her parents bought a summer cottage on Lake Memphromagog in Newport, Vermont. There, she spent her summers working many hours as a waitress and babysitter, and also found time for golf in the Green Mountain State.
Carol attended Middlebury College (Vermont), graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and later Harvard Business School. In 1963, she was part of HBS´s first graduating class to include women.
She met her future husband, Jerry Fryberger, at Middlebury who readily admits, “I didn’t have the brains, so I married them”. Their marriage proved to be a true partnership as they built a life together; raising children, helping others, loving multiple unruly dogs and becoming active members of the Duluth community. They lived together in the same house on Bruce Street for 59 years.
Carol enjoyed simple pleasures: the sound of rain on a metal roof, searching for the green flash in a Florida sunset, a cup of coffee each morning, completing a puzzle, knowing everyone was safe at home during a raging snowstorm, and adoring her 9 grandchildren.
She quite possibly never missed a single one of her children’s events. She and Jerry gamely packed up 4 children and a dog each summer for a trip into the BWCA where many fish were caught and lost, rainstorms were endured, Koolaid was made straight from lake water, and umpteen happy and enduring memories were made. She laughed as the tent fell on her birthday cake during an epic thunderstorm and helped dry (and burn) soggy socks over a raging bonfire once the rain cleared. The backyard at Bruce Street was home to neighborhood baseball games, slip and slide parties, and nighttime Ditch and Steal the Flag battles. WIth her four kids serving as magnets for others, Carol´s role as “mom” extended far beyond her own children. In fact, some of these ¨additional kids¨ never stopped visiting her.
In her late 70’s, she was invited by a young neighbor girl to her “Princess Birthday Party”. She attended - glitter and all. Many family traditions are similarly imbued with her sense of fun.
Carol volunteered extensively, starting with activities surrounding her children: school field trips, PTOs, a girl’s club in elementary school, school carnivals, bake sales and wherever else she was needed. This commitment to helping the community continued after her children left home, when she served as a volunteer for many years for the Alworth Scholarship Committee and the YWCA, as well as organizing women’s golf events.
Throughout her life, Carol continued to be a sounding board, a gentle advisor, a cheerleader, and a sympathetic ear for her own children and many others. She celebrated others´ milestones without fail; not just birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays, but also a granddaughter’s first soccer goal or a grandson’s first lost tooth. Ever the wordsmith, her well-crafted sentences- beautifully penned on thousands of hand-picked cards- were uplifting, celebratory, soothing, and consoling.
Carol loved playing golf. Starting as a young teenager and playing into her 80’s, she was the 1954-55 Club Champion at Newport (Vermont) Country Club and a longtime member of Northland Country Club in Duluth. Carol competed in tournaments throughout her life, shared her passion for the sport with her children, and was known to playfully hit golf balls off of the family cabin dock with her grandchildren.
She selflessly and compassionately cared for her mother, Diana, her father, Nick, her sister, Nancy, and her brother, David, at the end of their lives, often traveling great distances to spend weeks with them. Whatever the occasion, she knew when she was most needed and quickly sprung into action at a moment’s notice.
She is survived by her loving husband, Jerry, of 62 years. Her children, Jeremy ( Tess O’Sullivan), Lynn (Mark) MacLean, Holly (Alex) Sienkiewicz , Sarah ( Zack) Madison, 9 grandchildren; Duncan Fryberger, Nina O’Sullivan, Hattie and Finn MacLean, Severn, Colter and Rell Sienkiewicz, and Quinn and Beckett Madison and her sister Linda (Tim) Evers, many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, David, and sister, Nancy.
Nearing the end of her life, her last years would not have been as bright without the extraordinary care and kindness of her niece, Kristina D’Allaird,Sarah Baker, Lea Wirtanen, Melissa Rajkowski, and MorningStar Bixler.
Our appreciation of and gratitude for these caregivers is boundless. Carol passed away in the very early hours of Saturday, January 24. The outside temperature matched the date; -24 F, but memories of her are warm and enduring. Carol will be deeply missed.
Funeral services to be held at Glen Avon Presbyterian Church, 2105 Woodland Avenue, on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 1:30 pm. Reception to follow at Northland Country Club from 3-4:30 pm
