Janet Baldwin

A memorial service to remember and celebrate the life of Janet K. Baldwin will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, July 27, 2024, at the Chelsea Assembly of God. Inurnment will follow at Timpson Chapel Cemetery. Janet passed away peacefully at home on their Chelsea Ranch with family by her side on Saturday, July 20, 2024. She was 85.
Janet Kay (Spaulding) Baldwin was born on March 30th, 1939, in Vinita. She married the love of her life Dr. Jimmie Baldwin, on August 10th,1956. Janet Baldwin, Wife, Sister, Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother. These are not titles that she ever took lightly. She was the youngest of 5 siblings, and she was close to each of them. Janet adored her granddaughter and was the proudest great-grandmother there could ever be.
Janet Baldwin was a force of nature. For 63 years, her world revolved around her husband Jim, but that doesn't mean her world was small. She was his right-hand woman, his partner in every sense of the world. Together they built a life filled with family, animals, adventure and community. Many of you knew Janet as the bookkeeper for their veterinary clinics across Oklahoma which included Skiatook, Collinsville, Tulsa, Blackwell and Oklahoma City. She was the heartbeat of their business, but her passion went far beyond the numbers. She was an animal lover herself, and her dedication took her to Iowa to become qualified to run the first of two Coggins testing labs in Oklahoma.
Janet and Jim didn't just treat animals, they celebrated their spirit. For thirteen years on the first Saturday in October, they ran the Indian Territory Endurance Ride at Oologah Lake. Janet wasn't just the manager; she was the heart of the event. She spent all year finding the perfect completion awards to commemorate the AERC's Motto, "To Finish is To Win." She hosted an awards dinner once all riders were in and accounted for.
And let's not forget, she was a rider herself! She completed 2750 miles total of 50-mile endurance rides, and 425 miles in limited distance rides of 25 miles. Janet was thrilled when her horse Dann Tana won the best condition award on one of these rides. This is a testament to her fierce and determined spirit.
Janet took great pride in feeding family and friends during the Baldwin Annual Memorial Day Picnics at their Chelsea Ranch that started in the early 80's and ran for almost two decades. The fried chicken was the only thing that was ever catered. Janet would cook everything else needed to host the picnics of 75 – 150 guests. She always made sure there was more than enough food for the crowd because she never wanted to run out. Pie was her specialty. She was known as the Pie Crust Queen! No one could beat her pie crusts.
Janet's greatest passion was simply making people happy. She loved seeing everyone have a good time. Her kindness touched everyone who crossed her path. She will be deeply missed by all her family who are saying goodbye for now but will also be missed by those whose lives she touched along the way. We'll all miss her infectious enthusiasm and her unwavering support.
Janet is survived by her daughter Lisa Baldwin, granddaughter Heather Toth and spouse Treston Hefner, great-grandchildren Carter James Hefner, Penelope Rose Hefner, and soon-to-be Eleanor Hefner, sister Marilyn Shae (Spaulding) Cook, nieces and nephews.
Janet is preceded in death by her father: Joseph Ausmond "Aussie" Spaulding, Mother: Winifred E. (Ethel) Pelton, Husband: Dr. Jimmie Utah Baldwin, Sister: Carolyn Boggs, Brother: Jackie A. Spaulding, Brother: Benjamin Miller, Great Aunt Elsie and Uncle Everette Simmons (who raised her.)