Carol Yvonne Baker Higgins was born on November 19, 1936 to Dale and Frances (Creed) Baker. Carol passed from this life in Tulsa, OK on May 31, 2023 surrounded by her loved ones.

Carol was born in Kansas City, KS and moved to Tulsa, OK as a young child. She graduated from Will Rogers High School in 1954. In 1955, Carol went to work for Southwestern Bell (then Bell Telephone Company). Carol's strong work ethic and dogged determination served her well in the male dominated industry of the time. She worked her way up the corporate ladder and retired as a Vice President in 1987. In May of 1962, Carol married the love of her life, Alan Higgins. They had a long and happy marriage until Alan's unfortunate passing in 1998. In the early 1970's, they moved from Tulsa to Coweta, OK. At the time, their new home was in the middle of nowhere, but had the beautiful views of the pond and solitude of country living that Carol fell in love with. She loved living in the country, and insisted on always having the blinds open in the house to always have the best views of the countryside. Carol spent countless hours listing to the frogs and watching the birds while petting any number of her dogs and cats over the years.

Carol had a great number of interests in her lifetime, but the one that she was most passionate about was bowling. She started bowling in the late 1950's with her entire family and they were often called the Bowling Bakers. Carol continued to bowl until her health no longer allowed her to around 2013. Carol bowled on a great number of teams and competed in tournaments all over the country. There are countless pictures and stories of her shenanigans and adventures on these bowling tournaments. She even went on to serve as the President of the Tulsa Women's Bowling Association and served on the board of the Oklahoma Women's Bowling Association. Carol was proudly inducted into the Tulsa Women's Bowling Association Hall of fame in 1994 and into the Oklahoma Bowling Hall of Fame in 2008.

In addition to bowling, Carol loved a great number of hobbies. She loved to paint and even attended art school for some time. She loved to: listen to music, draw, do crossword puzzles, read anything she could get her hands on, poetry, watch murder mysteries, play cards and board games, and even video games with the grandkids. She loved going to the theater, and was a season ticket holder to the Tulsa PAC for several years. Carol also loved to shop! She especially loved shopping on QVC. If they sold it, she bought it. Over the years there were a great number of miscellaneous gadgets and merchandise procured from QVC. Carol was also a die-hard cheese fanatic! There were seldom any meals, snacks, or treats that did not involve cheese of some sort. Whether she was packing for a trip or eating a midnight snack, cheese was always on the menu. Even in her elder years, she happily ate all of the cheese in the house and then blamed it on her great granddaughter, Alina.

There are many things that we could say about Carol. She was a strong and independent woman who loved her family fiercely. That included her adopted family as well. Carol was known for taking in strays. Those could be the furry four legged kind (of which she had many), or those friends that her grandchildren brought home who needed a loving family and a safe place to stay. Most of the adopted grandchildren would not even know her actual name, they just knew her by her moniker: Mimi. Mimi would offer these strays love, a place to stay, and a good meal all while giving them all the humor and sassiness that made her unique and special.

Carol (Mimi) will be missed by all who knew her.

Carol is preceded in death by: her parents, Dale and Frances Baker; her husband, Alan Higgins; and her sister, Norma and husband, Thomas Presser.

Carol is survived by: brother, Dale Baker (Sherry); daughter, Deborah Johnson (David Camerrer); granddaughter, Carolyn Shaw (Tim); grandson, John Brilliant (Angela); granddaughter, Jennifer Johnson (James Stone); great granddaughter, Alina Brilliant; niece, Shanna Keethan (Josh); nephews, William and Joe Baker and Michael Bradford.

Viewing will be held on Monday June 5th from 10am to 8pm at Moore Southlawn Chapel. Funeral services will be held on Tuesday June 6th at 2pm at Moore Southlawn Chapel, 9350 E 51st St, Tulsa, OK with internment following at Vernon Cemetery in Coweta, OK.

Moore's Southlawn 918-663-2233