Felix Marcel Baptist, 1920-2008

Felix Marcel Baptist was born to Lawrence and Christine Baptist in Tirthahalli, India, Sept. 4, 1920 and passed away in Edmonton Feb. 10, 2008. His parents moved to Shimoga in 1925 to send their son to Grade 1. He finished high school with a matriculation diploma at age 16 in 1936. He was sent to Bangalore to attend St. Joseph’s College to do his intermediate studies. He also attended St. Mary’s Seminary in hopes of becoming a priest. After two years, he took up studying Latin, in 1938. At age 20, in 1940, he left the seminary and went to work for two years at the Taluk Office in Shimoga as an office clerk. Following this move he decided to go to Mangalore to attend St. Alloyisious College to get his B.A. degree. He came out with flying colours in 1942 and returned home to Shimoga where he went to work in the accounts department in the executive engineer’s office for two years. Felix joined the government high school in 1944 teaching Grades 10-12. On Oct. 8, 1945, Felix married Agnes Domingo, a Manglore beauty selected by his father. They were married until his death 62 years later. Their first born, a girl, came Aug. 3, 1946 and they named her Rita. In 1948, Felix was selected to go for B.Ed in Mysore City’s Teacher’s College for one year. He then was given an Inspector of Schools post in Sagar. Here, Felix and Agnes gave birth to her second child, Jerry. Following Jerry’s birth the family moved to Shikaripur where their third child, Sydney, was born. Here, Felix worked as an Inspector of Schools. In January 1952 Zita was born. This same year he was transferred to a place called Holalur where he stayed for about four years. Claude was born Feb. 24, 1955. It was time to move again, this time to Jog Falls. We didn’t live there for very long. In 1957 Felix moved to the city of Mysore. There he taught Grades 10-12 at Marimallapa’s High School. During this time Agnes gave birth to Oswald. In January 1959 Felix was selected to be a teacher in Debre Marcos, Ethiopia. He made this move without his family. Agnes joined him in May 1959 and the four eldest children were sent to live with their Grandma Domingo in Bombay. Ethiopia was where Agnes gave birth to her seventh child, Anita, April 6, 1960. Felix taught there for five years, after which he got a chance to come to Canada. He was hired by the High Prairie School Division to work as a high school teacher in Slave Lake. After a year there he moved to Faust, in 1964. In August 1964 Agnes collected all the children and joined Felix. Felix completed schooling through summer courses to earn his Alberta B.Ed. program in 1969. In 1970, the Baptist family was complete with the arrival of the youngest, Renita. In 1971 he did educational administration and got his diploma. The same year he built a house in High Prairie and moved there where he taught at Prairie River School. He then went to High Prairie Elementary School and taught Grade 3 until he retired in 1984 at the age of 64. In 2004, because of Felix’s failing health, he and his wife had to sell their home in High Prairie and move to Edmonton. Felix passed away Feb. 10, 2008. He is survived by: his loving wife of 62 years, Agnes; his four sons Jerome, Sydney, Claude, and Oswald; his four daughters Rita (Cliff) Manuel, Zita (Mark) Duchesne, Anita (Jim) Wagner, Renita (Len) Larson; his grandchildren June and Jessica Foulston; Aaron Baptist; Jason (Rachel), Jeremy, Rhonda, and Kristian Duchesne; Christopher Baptist and Sheri Matula; Tara and Brianna Wagner; and Jacqueline, Eric, Brenden and Kieren Larson.

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