Carolyn Nell (Meyers) McBride

Anadarko Daily News Publisher Carolyn Nell (Meyers) McBride, 88, of Anadarko, was born Feb. 11, 1936, in Oklahoma City to Fletcher A. and Opal (Stuart) Meyers. She passed away peacefully at her home in Anadarko in the evening of March 28, 2024, after an illness of several months.

Carolyn graduated from Anadarko High School in 1954. She went to Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford for one year, where she took business classes.

When she returned to Anadarko, Carolyn got a job with the county school superintendent’s office at the Caddo County Courthouse in Anadarko. She was the secretary to the superintendent.

As the story goes, in 1955, a young man named Joe McBride Jr. was working for his father’s printing company and delivered some log books to the county superintendent’s office. As he came into the office, he saw the “prettiest girl I’d ever seen, wearing a bright red dress and who had typewriter ribbon ink all over her hands.” It was love at first sight for them both, and soon they were dating.

After about a two-year courtship, the couple were married July 20, 1957, at the First Baptist Church in Liberty.

Their first daughter, Paula, was born in March 1958. Daughter JoNell was born in March 1960, and daughter, Carla, was born in June 1964.

In late 1959, the couple purchased a house and 20 acres of land in Anadarko, where they made their permanent home.

When Carla was around four years old, Joe asked Carolyn to come to work in the family businesses. She ran the Anadarko Printing & Office Supply business for many years, and also helped out at the Anadarko Daily News, where Joe was the general manager.

While all this was going on, Carolyn and Joe had the opportunity to travel the world as Olivetti typewriter representatives, and as members of the International Press Association.

Carolyn and Joe were devoted University of Oklahoma football fans, and attended all the home games and the OU/Texas games for many, many years.

When her girls were in junior high and high school, the printing office was sold and Carolyn went to work full time at the Daily News. She was the administrator, in charge of all the bookwork and payroll for the company, as well as helping with day-to-day duties. She became involved with helping set up a bookkeeping/payroll computer program specific for newspapers, one of the first of its kind.

She was named editor of the paper after long-time ADN editor Jack Stone retired, was associate publisher after Joe retired, and later became editor/publisher again, a position she held until her death.

Carolyn’s “Point of View” column was very popular with Daily News readers. She started the weekly column in the late 1980s, and continued it until late 2023.

She served her community as a member of the Anadarko Chamber of Commerce, a member and chairman of the Anadarko Hospital Board, and secretary of the board of the National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians in Anadarko. She was also on the Oklahoma Press Association’s insurance program board. She served on the Indian City U.S.A. board of directors and the State of Oklahoma Department Tourism and Recreation Board. She was one of the original board members of U.S. Sen. David Boren’s Foundation for Excellence.

Tourism in Anadarko was one of her greatest passions. She was very knowledgeable about the history of Anadarko and the tribes in the area. She started The Anadarko Daily News Visitors Guide, which had many stories of early-day Anadarko and Caddo County.

In November 2023, Carolyn was diagnosed with low blood sodium, and was hospitalized for a month. When dismissed from the hospital, her girls chose to bring her home, where they cared for her until her passing.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Joe W. McBride Jr., on Feb. 25, 2020; and her daughter, Paula LeMarr McBride, on Oct. 12, 2019.

Survivors include her daughters and sons-in-law, JoNell McBride-Thomas and David Thomas, and Carla McBride-Alexander and David Alexander, all of Anadarko; and her beloved sister, Sandra Hill of Tulsa.

Carolyn will be buried next to her husband Joe in Anadarko’s Memory Lane Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Ray & Martha’s Funeral Home of Anadarko.