Nathan William Pike

1948 - 2026

Nathan William Pike, 77, of Embarrass, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on January 21, 2026, at Essentia Health in Duluth, MN, after a courageous journey with dementia.
Nathan was born on March 1, 1948, in Calais, Maine, to Frederick Pike and Anerva (Jarve) Pike. In 1952, the family moved to Embarrass, Minnesota, a place Nathan would call home for most of his life. He remained there until his health required him to move to Edgewood Vista Memory Care in Hermantown, MN, in December of 2024.
Nathan graduated from Embarrass High School and later earned a degree in Chef Management from Hibbing Vo-Tech. Though his culinary career was cut short following his first hip operation, his love for cooking never faded. He went on to build a long and dedicated career as a truck driver, working for many companies before finding his home at Monson Trucking out of Virginia, MN. Nathan remained with Monson until the company closed in 2009. He often joked that he was only "semi-retired," a fitting description for a man who truly never stopped working. In retirement, he continued to take on odd jobs and generously helped family and friends with home projects whenever he could.
Nathan was a creative soul with a deep love for wood carving, crafting many unique and cherished projects over the years. A devoted car enthusiast, he had a special love for the 1957 Chevy, even carving his own urn to resemble the Bel Air he once owned. He found great joy in spending time with family and friends, especially at his mother-in-law's cabin on Comstock Lake, where he knew all the best crappie fishing spots and treasured quiet evenings by the fire. Cooking remained one of his greatest passions, and many fondly remember the meals he lovingly prepared.
A man of tradition and heart, Nathan's favorite movie was "It's a Wonderful Life." Every Christmas season, he made it a point to call "the kids" to let them know when it was airing and on which channel-insisting on watching it on television, commercials and all, even when he owned the DVD.
Nathan is survived by his beloved wife of more than 48 years, Jeanette Pike; his children Jeremy (Mel) Pike, Roman (Bobbi) Pike, and Audra (John) Kettelhut; his stepchildren Ron Jensen (Sheena Isle), Keith (Wendy) Jensen, Howard (Terrie) Jensen, Harley (Megan) Jensen, Ginny Jensen, and Sam (Aaron) Johnson; his sisters Susan (Tom) Maikkula and Barbara Pike; his brother Mike Pike; and his very special aunt, Lorraine Jarve. He is also survived by an abundance of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, along with many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will deeply miss him.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws; aunts and uncles; cousins; nephews; and grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life honoring Nathan's life will be held on Saturday, March 14 from 12:30-3pm, with a time of remembrance and sharing of stories at 1:30pm at the Range Funeral Home in Virginia, MN.
Nathan will be remembered for his hardworking spirit, creativity, generosity, love of family, and the quiet ways he showed up for those he loved. His life truly was a wonderful one.
Services entrusted to Twin Ports Cremation, Proctor, MN.