Margaret Julia (Harrison) Baile

Margaret Baile, beloved wife of Jake Ootes, of Celista, BC, passed away on March 12, 2021 at the age of 91 at Hillside Village in Salmon Arm, British Columbia.

Marg was born April 12, 1929 in Sardis, BC. She spent her first few years on her parents dairy farm in Chilliwack overlooking the peak of Mount Cheam.  The depression dealt a devastating blow to the family when milk prices plummeted and they had to give up their farm. Marg never forgot her farming life and was determined to someday return to that lifestyle. The family moved to the isolated gold-mining town of Bralorne, in the interior of BC. Several years later they moved to Vancouver. There Marg graduated from John Oliver High School and enrolled in the University of British Columbia from which she graduated with Bachelor Degrees in Arts and Social Work.  For many years she worked in social work specializing in foster care and adoptions. 

She married Blake Baile, a Canadian military officer, and they moved to posts in Petawawa, London, and Trenton/Bellville, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, where Marg continued her social work. They also served two tours in Germany and spent two years in Ismalia, Egypt where Blake commanded the Canadian forces contingent of the United Nations. Their work carried them to the middle eastern countries of Syria and Isreal. Following Egypt their served in Montreal. Their final posting was Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. In 1990 Marg was divorced and eventually married northern magazine publisher and politician, Jake Ootes.

In Yellowknife, Marg started and built Arctic Art Gallery, eventually to become the largest fine art gallery in the Northwest Territories. A number of her featured artists went on to become well-known Territorial and Canadian artists.  Marg’s keen eye and her natural talent to market and promote artists earned national respect. She was appointed to the Board of Governors of the National Art Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, and served on the board for three years. Marg sold Arctic Art Gallery in 1999 to Arctic Co-ops and her Yellowknife main street store became Northern Images.

In 2005 Marg and Jake retired and moved to Celista, British Columbia. Marg’s energies shifted to managing their 160-acre farm and helped to develop an award winning winery, Celista Estate Winery.   Marg’s passion became her flower gardens --- peonies, tulips, daffodils, irises. Her legacy is the everlasting beauty she created on their property.

Marg and Jake are grateful to the individual North Shuswap caregivers who provided in-home help over the past two years; to the support of the North Shuswap Better At Home Program; to St. David’s Church and the North Shuswap Christian Fellowship. For the past five months Marg was a resident at the Good Samaratan Hillside Village in Salmon Arm. Enough words can’t describe the superb staff contribution to the care, comfort and well being provided to Marg. A special thanks is extended to family Doctor, Victor De Kock of Kamloops.  

Marg was always overjoyed to have visits from her children and grandchildren. In 2017 she was ecstatic to become a great grandmother. Besides her loving husband, Jake, Marg is survived by daughter, Dr. Marcy Baile of Gabriola Island, BC; son, Geoff Baile (Connie) of Vancouver and his children Erin and Alex;  Colin and Liz Baile of Yellowknife, and their son Harrison, daughter Tanis and great-grandson, Jordie; and step-son Luke Ootes of Victoria. She was predeceased by her parents:  Rosetta May (nee Kerr) and Bernard Leslie Harrison; and her sister Marie Orla Harrison.

A Celebration of Life was held at Bowers Funeral Service in Salmon Arm, British Columbia on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. 

We invite you to watch a recording of the service and the tribute video by clicking the links below. 

In lieu of flowers the family requests that a donation be made to the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia.