Pike, Ralph C.

Ralph C. Pike passed away peacefully early Friday morning, October 21, 2016, after a long illness.

Ralph was born on August 21, 1934 in Shelby County, AL to Clyde and Maxie Pike.

After high school he served with pride in the United States Navy and Air Force. He married his beloved wife Barbara Maples in Cadiz, TX in 1954 during his service with the Navy. After his military service Ralph began his career in the National Weather Service and attended the University of New Mexico, where he received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He received numerous awards during his career with the Weather Service, including the prestigious Max A. Kohler Award for Hydrology. During his tenure at the Weather Service Ralph trained many volunteer observers around New Mexico and worked with numerous state and federal agencies in water supply projections for the state. After retiring from the Weather Service he began his teaching career at the University of New Mexico and at Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, now CNM. Ralph enjoyed his time teaching Geography and Climatology to both freshman and graduate level students.

Ralph touched many lives and was always willing to offer his mentoring and his "I can fix anything" skills to anyone who needed them. He loved fishing, camping, and road trips with Barb and their dog, to out of the way special places in New Mexico and the southwest. An open invitation was always available for any of these trips to friends and family with the assurance of a good time, good food and drink and a great discussion on your destination. Ralph was preceded in death by his wife Barbara and is survived by his son Mark Pike and his wife Ann. Papa Ralph was a kind, generous and loving grandfather to grandchildren, Katie Baker, husband Brandon; great- grandchildren Ryan and Addie and Steve Pike; great grandson Alex. Also surviving Ralph are his siblings: Ken Pike, wife Linda and their children; Kay Pike and her children; and Jeannie Poor, husband Buddy all of Anniston, AL.

The family would like to extend our special thanks to Bobbi and Desi of Casa Contenta Assisted Living for their loving and gracious care of Ralph.

Ralph will be laid to rest with a veteran’s ceremony next to his treasured Barb in the family cemetery in Texas. A celebration for Ralph will be held at Mark and Ann’s home on November 5, 2016 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to the Alzheimer’s foundation or a charity of your choice.

To view information or leave a condolence, please visit www.danielsfuneral.com Daniels Family Funeral

Services 2400 Southern Blvd Rio Rancho, NM 87124

505-891-9192