John McPike

John Elliot McPike
John Elliott McPike, 83, passed away October 20, 2010 in Watsonville after a brief illness. John was born in San Francisco and raised in Pacific Grove. While attending Pacific Grove High School he went to a football game in Santa Cruz and met his future wife, Margaret Melrose. He graduated in 1945 and entered the Navy, serving on a minesweeper in the South Pacific. After the Navy, John followed Margaret to Salinas Junior College and UCSB but left college for adventure working as a fisherman on a purse seiner out of Monterey during the height of Cannery Row's sardine industry.
John and Margaret married in 1951 and settled with their young and growing family in Watsonville where he farmed lettuce and celery in the Pajaro and Salinas Valleys. He served as President of the California Iceberg Lettuce Commission and on the Board of the Western Growers Association for many years. Residing in Watsonville for almost 50 years, they moved to San Luis Obispo in 2000 to be closer to family. Soon after Margaret passed away in 2006, John returned to Watsonville where he was living at the time of his death.
John will be remembered for his skill as a fisherman and domino player and his love of the limerick.
John leaves behind his three children: Ann (Chris) Slate, Sue (Paul) Carota, and John Jr. (Kathy); and six grandchildren, Maggie and Paul Carota, Katie, Ane and Ellie McPike and Jessica Slate.
No services are planned and a celebration of his life will be held later next month.