Obituary of Charles E. Pike

Charles E. Pike, 90, of Hampton passed away after a lengthy illness, to be with his wife in Heaven on January 27, 2016. He was born on September 24,1925, the son of the late Clarence E Pike and Alice Alberty Pike. Dad was a wounded U.S. Army veteran of WWII who saw action in the South Pacific. The transport ship he was on was torpedoed and a piece of shrapnel hit him in his right arm. A tough man, Dad bound up his own wound and carried on, retaining the shrapnel in his arm for the rest of his life. Growing up during the Great Depression, Dad learned what hard work was when his father pulled him out of school while in the eighth grade and required him to work in order to help support the family. From that early introduction to work, Dad learned to be a "Jack of all trades," skilled in carpentry, electricity, plumbing, mechanics, in addition to many other skills. Later, Dad worked for the Molnar Construction Company from the 1950's until 1974 and was known as "Charlie Ponds" for the countless ponds he dug in the local area. Dad also cleared the land on which Parish Hill High School in Chaplin now sits. He founded Charles E. Pike and Sons Portable Sawmill in 1974 and worked full time on the mill into his late 70's, and part time after that. Besides his parents, he is predeceased by his wife Virginia, who passed away in 2008, and his sister Alice. He is survived by his step-son Randall Baird, and sons Clarence, Daniel, Charles Jr, William, and his daughters Alice and Norma. He was a father, a grandfather, and a great-grandfather. Home is not going to be the same without him. We are going to miss you Dad! A Calling Hour will be Monday, February 1, 2016 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM with a Funeral Service at 11:00 AM at the Gagnon and Costello Funeral Home, 33 Reynolds Street, Danielson, CT. Burial in the spring in Litchfield Cemetery, Hampton with Military Honors.