Ralph Emmerson Pike Jr.

Ralph Pike Jr. beloved husband, loving father, grandfather and great grandfather passed away peacefully August 13, 2024 in Colorado at the age of 89.

Ralph is survived by his loving wife, Patty. They were married just short of 43 years. Patty provided care for Ralph full time after his stroke in 2018 (she herself is a breast cancer survivor) children:  Ralph (Renee), Melvin (Martha), Paul, Adam and Jeffrey (Althea), Sheree, Cynthia and Debra (Joe); as well as twenty one grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.

Ralph was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph Sr.  and Mildred Pike; wives Melba (d:1955) and Wanda (d:1979); siblings: Jack, Robert, Leonard and Leona, and two daughters-in-laws: Cindie and Kathy.

In his youth, Ralph felt the calling to serve the Lord. Whether it was ministering to his peers in the high school Bible Club he started, the homeless, pastoring, church planting, feeding the hungry or helping his fellow man, he was always answering God’s call. Ralph touched untold numbers of lives during his time on earth. In 1954 he worked at the American Soul Clinic in Los Angles. Ralph always had a yearning to go to Alaska and after his family started growing they felt the Lord calling them to Alaska. When he made his first trip to check out the Fairbanks area, he met others there who were also interested in starting a Rescue Mission for the homeless. He attended Arizona Bible Institute for one year and then the family left California for Alaska where they became missionaries to the homesteaders and people of Alaska. Their ministries included: planting a church in the homestead community some 20 miles from Fairbanks, attending Denali Bible Chapel when living in town and holding afternoon services out on the homestead in Three Rivers. This provided the family with many opportunities to evangelize Fairbanks. Ralph always reminisced about the days of going home to home, knocking on each person’s door and sharing the gospel story with them. He was BOLD in his Faith and left his Spiritual DNA everywhere he went. The Love of Jesus shined through him!

Prayer was always a vital part of Ralph’s family life and professional life.  Ralph, Jim Barefoot, and several other gentlemen wanted to purchase the old saloon building and turn it into a Rescue Mission. Ralph found himself praying with arms locked through the building’s chains and sought God’s will regarding this future ministry. The rest is a beautiful portrait of God’s faithfulness for the past 50 years. Ralph’s love & compassion for the homeless never ceased as he served this ministry for over 13 years. The Mission now is in a new location and larger building, expanding to include a women’s shelter and is going strong to this day! Ralph met Patty there through the Women’s Auxiliary of the Fairbanks Rescue Mission while serving as Superintendent/Executive Director and they were married in Nov 1981. They ministered in over 20 different churches, representing the Rescue Mission, and had other opportunities ranging from the air station on Murphy Dome to the military men stationed on active duty.  This ministry opened numerous doors during their tenure in Fairbanks and an invitation to go on a Mission trip to Thailand to help build a church in a village. That was awesome and whole other story all together (ask Patty some time).  Summer Camps were another part of their service and family lives, from Victory Bible Camp to Camp Liwa. For the next several years they lived in Fairbanks serving the Lord and raising their two boys. Then in 2008 the need came up for a decision to be made about Patty’s parents, they and her brother also were on Hospice in Colorado. The Lord sold the family home and they found themselves on the Alcan Highway moving to Colorado. Ralph and Patty cared for her parents until their passing and then moved again to Colorado City where they live on the side of a mountain until Ralph’s passing. Ralph loved the wild animals, open space, huge garage and his precious dog Missi of 12 years. He never got over losing his beloved Beagle and companion.

Ralph’s love and compassion carried over into many practical aspects of life including hunting, fishing, working on vehicles and trusting God as he provided for his families.

It was important to Ralph that everyone he met, left knowing the way to heaven. That is the legacy he has left us all. Ralph is greatly missed and he will never be forgotten.