Ronald M. Pike, a visiting professor of chemistry from 1983-1984, died on February 26, 2019, in Mapleton, Utah.
(The following appeared online at premierfuneral.com in February 2019:)
Ronald Marston Pike, 93, of Mapleton, Utah, husband of Marilyn Cecilia Waris Pike, died at home Tuesday, February 26, 2019. He was born August 16, 1925, in Calais, Maine, son of the late Roscoe M. and Eugenie (Adams) Pike. Ron was a long-time resident of Pelham, NH. He and his wife lived in Mapleton with their son and daughter-in-law for the past three and a half years.
Growing up in Maine, Ron graduated from Cony High School, class of 1943, in Augusta, Maine. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in organic chemistry from the University of New Hampshire, and earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was a veteran of World War II, having served in the U.S. Army in Europe and the Philippines.
After working at Union Carbide for several years, Ron became a chemistry professor at Lowell Technological Institute (Lowell, MA) and then Merrimack College (North Andover, MA), where he served as chairman of the chemistry department. He also taught as a visiting professor at Bowdoin College (Maine) and the United States Military Academy (West Point, NY). As part of his distinguished career teaching and consulting, Ron was a member of the American Chemical Society, and was instrumental in developing modern “microscale chemistry,” which has resulted in improved laboratory safety and a significant reduction in cost and waste.
Ron was always religious. Raised a Baptist, he was later a deacon in the Congregational Church in Pelham, NH. Ron, his wife, and children joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1965. As a Latter-day Saint, he served as a Bishop and in numerous other ward and stake callings. Ron and his wife Marilyn served a mission for the Church, 1995-1997, at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City.
In addition to his wife Marilyn, Ron is survived by his son, Dana M. Pike and his wife Jane Allis-Pike, of Mapleton, UT; his daughter Gretchen Pike Mourtgos and her husband John Mourtgos, of Londonderry, NH; seven grandchildren: Benjamin M. Pike, his wife Emilee, and sons Talus and Baden; Daniel A. Pike, and his children Nikole and Isaak; Allison Pike Merrell and her husband Michael Merrell, and their children Finley, Silas, and Maren; Erik J. Mourtgos and his wife Shelley; Shane W. Mourtgos, his wife Laura, and their children Joshua, Maia, Lillian, Kayla, and Hanna; Scott M. Mourtgos, his wife Brooke, and their children Katie, Lauren, and Cade; and Beth Mourtgos Taylor, her husband Ryan Taylor, and their children Nathan, James, and Ashleigh; a sister and brother-in-law, Pauline Pike Bender and her husband George Bender of Walnut Creek, OH; and a sister-in-law, Mary Clayton Pike of Granby, CT. Ron was preceded in death by his identical twin brother, Roscoe A. Pike (2004).
Among other things, Ron loved gardening, Maine, family history, and sports, especially baseball. He was devoted to his wife and family, his country, his church, and his God. May he rest in peace.