Zelma Culpepper Rescues Elderly Neighbor

By George Wilkens
20 Apr 1999, The Tampa Tribune
Final Edition, Florida/Metro, Page 4

EAST TAMPA - Two women rescue an unconscious elderly neighbor from a house fire on Ashmore Drive Monday.

Two women entered a burning house Monday morning to save the life of their neighbor, a longtime Northview Hills resident known in the neighborhood as "the Candy Lady.

Edna Mae Johnson, 74, of 4712 Ashmore Drive, was admitted to Tampa General Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation. Her granddaughter, Angela Foxworth, said Johnson was expected to be released today.

Foxworth praised Zelma Culpepper and Delores Cherry, who rescued the widow shortly before 8:30 a.m.

"If it hadn't been for them... my grandmother wouldn't be here," Foxworth said.

Cherry, 45, downplayed the rescue, saying she merely did a good deed.

Cherry said she spotted the fire when Culpepper cried out for help. She raced to Johnson's house, where Culpepper , Johnson's next-door neighbor, stood. They entered the house through the front door.

"I just picked the lady up and carried her out," Cherry said.

She didn't stop until they made it to Culpepper 's house, where they dialed 911.

"Smoke was everywhere," said Cherry, who also was checked out at Tampa General for smoke inhalation, then released.

The fire destroyed or damaged just about everything - except a Bible.

Cherry called Johnson a "very sweet lady" but she mostly knows her as the "Candy Lady." Johnson's relatives said she is widely known by the nickname.

Johnson has sold candy and other treats for years from a small room on the side of her home, catering to children who get off the school bus near her home.

"It's just something to keep her busy," said Johnson's daughter, LaVern Lewis. "She makes zero dollars" doing it.

The fire in three-bedroom concrete-block house was caused by an electrical short in the attic, investigators said. The loss was estimated at $52,000.

Culpepper Ancestry. Zelma Culpepper's ancestry is currently unknown to Culpepper Connections! If you know more about her, please let us know.

Last Revised: 12 Jul 2004