Terry Pike

Windsor - Terry Pike, 81, of Windsor, passed away July 8, 2023. Recitation of the Rosary will begin at 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, July 13, 2023 at Saint Joseph Catholic Church, Fort Collins. Memorial Mass will follow the next day at 9:30 a.m., Friday, July 14, 2023, Saint Joseph Catholic Church.

Terry was born to Marion and Zelda Pike of Pueblo, CO April 24, 1942.

Growing up in Pueblo, Terry was an avid sports fan. He enjoyed football, wrestling and especially baseball. Terry was a bat boy for the Pueblo Dodgers which was a farm team for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In his customary fashion, Terry always liked to say, "I was small, but I was slow".

Terry's dad, Marion, worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and would make sure to attend daily Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart just a few blocks from their home. Terry was an altar boy and would serve the 6am Mass that his dad would attend. This gave Terry a love for the Church, a gift he shared with his children and grandchildren.

Through all of his athletic endeavors, Terry's star shined incredibly bright as a student. Terry graduated from the original Centennial High School in Pueblo. The Air Force Academy was very interested in having him attend. Terry appreciated the attention and even agreed to attend an Air Force football game with officers attempting to persuade him. They even asked him to come for the Notre Dame game. That was a mistake. Terry had wanted to attend Notre Dame ever since he was young. He happily accepted the invitation and promptly registered to attend Notre Dame after he graduated high school.

Terry was awarded a scholastic scholarship and enrolled at Notre Dame for the fall semester in 1959. While at Notre Dame, Terry still did his best to stay involved in athletics. No, he did not go the route of Rudy, but he did work out with the wrestling team. Terry became the practice dummy for two All-Americans on their varsity team. This seemed to be a theme for Terry for the rest of his life; he never let the odds discourage him. He would take a chance and work hard to make those chances pay off. Sometimes he succeeded and sometimes he didn't. Most of the time he did, but even the "failures" served him well.

When Terry wasn't studying or getting thrown around the wrestling mat, he went to a picnic at St. Mary's College. It was there he met his future wife, Judy Francis.

Terry graduated from Notre Dame in the spring of 1963 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Judy graduated from St. Mary's the same year and they moved to Pueblo to begin their life together. Terry was hired as the engineer for the Pueblo Water Works and shortly after, had their first of five children. Terry had a big impact on the Water Works and was integral in designing and building the Pueblo dam.

Terry moved the family to Ft. Collins in 1980 to work as an engineer for a construction company. After a short stint there, Terry started his own construction company, TG Pike Boring and Construction. Among other projects the company worked on, Terry helped in the construction of the Budweiser brewery that came to town.

Unfortunately, this was a difficult time for the economy and Terry ultimately folded the company. But true to his nature, Terry did not let that discourage him. He went to work for Diamond Contracting in Boulder a short time later and eventually bought it from the owner with his partner. Together they continued to run the company until Terry decided to retire in 2006.

Throughout his career and life in general, Terry was known for his honesty, integrity and reliability. He was never preoccupied with what others thought of him. What was important was his faith and that he lived up to it as best as he could.

When Terry wasn't working, he made time to be involved with his kid's lives. In particular, he enjoyed coaching their sports teams. Whether it was a basketball team at the YMCA in Pueblo or baseball teams in Ft. Collins, Terry loved to teach his kids and their friends how to play the right way.

Terry is survived by his wife of 59 years, Judith Anne Pike, three daughters, Melissa Crowley (Charles) Jennifer Madrick (John), Timothy Pike (Audrey), Megan Kearney (Brian) and Casey Pike (Antoinette). Terry and Judy have 19 grandchildren.

Memorials may be given in Terry's name to either St. Joseph Catholic Church or to Wounded Warriors.