Carol Louise Selfridge

To the world, she was known as Carol Louise Baker, Carol McAdams, & Carol Selfridge. To the ones who she admired most, she is simply known as Mimi.

Carol was born on April 6, 1951, in Pauls Valley, OK, a small community that took care of its own. She grew up in a loving home with her hard-working father, Clyde Baker, and doting mother, Mertice Baker. Alongside her older siblings, Bill & Delores, she lived an idyllic life growing as a leader & scholar with her steadfast Christian values.

She attended Oklahoma Baptist University where she earned her degree in Speech Language Pathology. She married her high school sweetheart, Jim McAdams, & they began their life together as they welcomed their beautiful daughter, Kristie Michelle. Their joy was shattered after a couple of years when Jim McAdams died from a lightning strike that occurred while he was assisting his best friend in the midst of a pop-up raging storm. This would be the first testing of Carol’s courage, faith, & strength, as her future was changed in an instant.

As she settled into her new life, she had a chance encounter with an old high school romance, Jim Selfridge. They seemed to pick right up where they left off & wedding bells would ring again. She made a life raising Kristie & developing into an accomplished Speech Pathologist while following Jim’s jobs as a coach & then into the oil field. At one of the stops, she welcomed her 2nd gift from above, Mandy Leigh. The foursome moved around small towns in Texas until they found a home in Lake Charles/Sulphur, LA. With each move, Carol had to begin again with her therapy practice. The inherent obstacles only strengthened her resolve to not give up. Like the oak trees that silhouette the beautiful sunset skies of Southwest Louisiana, Carol sunk her roots deep. Her network of friends stretched out from across the school board to her church, Trinity Baptist, and everywhere in between. She made a difference in the lives of so many people.

As the years passed, she welcomed her two sons-in-law (Kristie married Mike Ford and Mandy married Jeff Anderson). The guys brought her the gift she had been waiting for so long, the chance to become Mimi. Kristie & Mike gave her Brendan, Brayden, & Britton. Mandy & Jeff gave her Paige, Allie, Blair, & Charleigh. From the moment that Brendan named her, she would never go by a better name. Mimi loved her grandkids. She especially loved their sports life. She followed her boys’ football games, baseball games, pole vault meets, & the occasional Saturday morning garage sale. She followed her girls’ volleyball games, basketball games, band concerts, & hosted Camp Mimi. She was crazy about all 7 of her blessings. She watched her boys grow into young men, & the back-to-back whammy of Hurricanes Laura & Delta gave Jim & Carol a good reason to move to Weatherford, TX to watch her girls live out their dreams.

They were blessed to step into another incredible church family (North Side Baptist) who would be a further source of strength in the coming months. She had her first encounter with cancer in 1992. After successful treatment, all seemed well. Her mettle was definitely tested, but the jewels in her crown (family, friends, & church family) stood with her in the midst of the storm. Her strength continued to grow. Life went on & adventures continued until a 2nd brush with cancer occurred in 2000. Once again, her support system & her faith in God’s purpose for her life brought her through treatment. This latest storm only caused her roots to dig deeper. Years went by & her visits for follow-up care seemed less & less necessary, until a scan in 2018 would reveal that the demon was back, only this time designated as stage IV. With the guidance of Kristie, she added non-traditional medical care into her medical regimen & saw incredible results. Her doctors could not identify the mysterious healing that took place, but we all know that God provided a way. With her new-found knowledge, Carol set about helping others in their journeys. She was a chapter in so many fellow cancer warriors’ books of life. God’s purpose was realized yet again, and He was not done with her time on Earth. Through her years, she made her mark on those individuals & families that have taken the fight to such a terrible disease.

Her latest diagnosis in 2022 was beyond belief. “Why God? How God?” We never heard her utter those words. It would be fair to ask, although I have complete confidence that God answered those burning questions as she stepped into His eternal light. Mimi did as Paul instructed…she fought the good fight. Her faith was stronger than her pain & our sadness. I’m sure she would be the first to give glory to God for giving her more time on Earth to share about Him & admire her 7 blessings. She was a candle on a hill. She was a light in one of the darkest regions of disease process. She was a friend who wanted to be the difference. She was a wife who supported her husband in thick & thin. She was a quiet leader in her church family. She was a professional who changed the lives of so many pupils. But most of all, she was Mimi.

The unfortunate thing about illness is that it temporarily distracts us from the full life that God intends for each of us. He never promised this life would be fair. He never said there would be no hurts. He never gave false assurances that we would make it out of this place alive. But He did give us the answer. John 3:16 is not some poster to be held up in the end zone of your favorite 1980’s football team. Those 26 words changed the way this broken world worked. Did it change the pain & suffering? No. Did it bring fairness onto the playing field? Certainly not. It laid out God’s plan for bringing each of us through every hard moment that can be hurled at us from this sometimes-brutal world. Why did God choose this path instead of waving a magic wand to change this world to suit His overwhelming love for us? I don’t know, but I have great confidence that He’ll answer that burning question when I step into His eternal light.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Friday, September 15, 2023, at North Side Baptist Church, in Weatherford, Texas.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Robert Geier foundation in honor of Carol Selfridge, to support cancer warriors who are seeking alternative treatment not covered by insurance.