Grandpa Pike

101 years ago today, October 11, 1915, my grandfather, Clarence Preston Pike came into the world to Steve and Mary Pike of Heath, Texas. My grandpa has been gone a long time, he went home to the Lord June 6, 2004, but he lived a long, full life. Married to one wife, Thelma Lilian, the two of them had four children, two sons and two daughters.

Growing up, times were hard, my grandfather picked cotton and later would work at a bank in Dallas, Texas as an armed guard. He served in the US Army during WWII in the Philippines, and after he came home he worked at the Ford Motor Company in Dallas, Texas, after retiring from Ford he worked for the City of Dallas building roads.
While serving in the US Army my grandfather fought at the

Battle of Luzon

, and he stood guard over General

Tomoyuki-Yamashita

the night before his execution.
My grandfather was a simple man, quiet, and enjoyed watching the Texas Rangers, as well as the Dallas Cowboys. I have a lot of fond memories of the whole family gathering at grandma and grandpa's house every Sunday afternoon for lunch; grandma always made a huge lunch mostly comprised of veggies grown in their garden and Sunday steak - to this day I have no clue what kind of meat Sunday steak was, lol, but it was super good! After lunch all the men would sit in the front room with grandpa and watch whatever sport was on, and the women and children would gather in the living room and while the kids played, the women would talk and make holiday and birthday plans for someone!
I miss my grandparents. My kids remember great-Grandpa Pike, I miss his wisdom and his stories, mostly his stories about when he was a kid and his war stories. Cherish your family; take the kids to see the great-grandparents and grandparents; listen to their stories and their wisdom, they are amazing!