Athlete.
Born at Sturgis, Saskatchewan on 19 December 1942 to Mary Rosella Chapman (1902-1989) and Harold Rowland Oakes (1897-1993), he was an accomplished athlete, coach, and mentor. He began his athletic career in hockey, playing in the junior leagues in the early 1960s, first for the Flin Flon Bombers and then the Winnipeg Braves.
He quickly moved on to baseball and played minor ball in Gladstone before playing eight seasons with Dauphin and Brandon in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League (MSBL). In the MSBL, he averaged .312 over eight years, was a league first-team all-star three times (1966, 1969, 1970) and a second-team all-star two times (1965, 1971). Over the course of these eight years, his team won the MSBL championship in 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, and 1971. In 1971, they also won the Canadian championships. Because of his consistent strong performances, he was named to the 1967 Canadian Pan-Am Games team. His career highlight was Team Canada’s 10-9 win over Cuba at the 1967 Pan-Am games, during which he had three hits, including a home run. He even caught a fly ball in right field during driving rain to record the last out. In 2006, he was inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, and is also a member of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.
His career outside of baseball was centered in the insurance industry. On 6 May 1967, he married Brenda Brooks and they went on to have five children. Throughout his life, those who knew him admired him for his knowledge of sports and his ability to predict the outcome of any hockey, baseball, golf, or curling game. In retirement, he and his wife resided at Victoria, British Columbia, where he continued to enjoy the game of golf. His other main interests were jazz, chess, playing the trumpet, and camping in the mountains.
He died at Victoria, British Columbia on 1 April 2012.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 7 April 2012.
“Maurice Oakes,” Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.
“A Brief History of Winnipeg South Minor Baseball Association,” 25 April 2017.
“Maurice Oakes,” Ice Hockey, Fandom.
“Maurice Harold Oakes,” Lewis Master Tree, Ancestry.
This page was prepared by Lois Braun.
Page revised: 29 June 2026
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