Shirley April Toadvine

Shirley April Toadvine, age 59, passed away peacefully on October 24, 2025, in Baton Rouge. She was born in Salisbury, Maryland, on May 24, 1966, to the late Theodore Albert Toadvine and Shirley Ann Stephens Toadvine.

April, as she was affectionately known, grew up on the family farm in the neighborhood of Rockawalkin in Hebron, Maryland. From early childhood, she was an avid reader and excelled academically. She attended Pemberton Elementary School, James M. Bennett High School, and Rockawalkin United Methodist Church. Following her graduation from Salisbury University with a B.A. in Communication Arts in 1988, she worked for several years at Salisbury’s WMDT-47 television station before returning to Salisbury University to earn a B.S. in Elementary Education (1995) and an M.A. in English Literature (2002). She earned her Ph.D. in English from Purdue University in 2002 with specialization in Victorian literature, Medieval literature, and women’s studies. From 2007 until 2017, April was a professor of English at St. Joseph’s College in Indiana, where she taught courses in British literature and led study abroad programs in Australia, China, and New Zealand. From 2017 until her death, she was a professor of English at Southern University in Baton Rouge, where she served as Chair of the Department of Languages and Literature in the English and Philosophy program and Director of the First-Year Writing Program. She published essays on Sherlock Holmes, Anthony Trollope, the portrayal of women in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the teaching of writing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

April’s wry sense of humor delighted her many friends, both lifelong and new. Alongside her interests in British literature, she had an abiding love of speculative fiction and popular culture, especially cinematic and televised science fiction, including Doctor Who and Star Trek. She loved blurring the edges between literary and pop culture studies. She frequented Renaissance faires and enjoyed international travel, visiting Italy, France, and Mexico. She was also the adoring companion of many cats, including Dahlia, Darcy, Diablo, Dickens, Salem, and Snickers.

April is survived by her brother, Theodore “Ted” Albert Toadvine Jr. (Janet); sisters, Holly Allison Toadvine Gaboriault (Paul) and Gretchen Alyce Toadvine Parks (Christian); nephews, C.J. Parks, Caleb Parks, and Joshua Parks; and nieces, Kierra Parks and Alexis Parks.

A visitation will be held at Resthaven Funeral Home in Baton Rouge at 12:30 PM on November 15, 2025, followed by a memorial service at 2:30 PM. A graveside service will be held at Parson’s Cemetery in Salisbury, Maryland, on Friday, December 5, 2025, at 2:00 PM, with a reception to follow from 3:00-5:00 PM, at the Rockawalkin Community Hall in Hebron, Maryland.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cat Haven Animal Shelter of Baton Rouge, https://www.cathaven.org/donate.