John A. Pike

With sadness we announce the passing of John Austin Pike at the age of 92 in Kerrville Texas, on July 11, 2023.  John was born June 11, 1931 in Casper Wyoming, where he lived until he graduated High School.

John then attended college at the University of Colorado and the Naval Academy in Boulder and went on to serve in the Navy as a fighter pilot, flying off of aircraft carriers. He loved flying and anything to do with aviation, which took him to a career with Beech Aircraft Corp. in Wichita Kansas and Bolder Colorado. While there he became Vice President of Research and Development.

Many remember the drama of Apollo 13 in 1970 as people watched as NASA struggled to save three astronauts in the crippled spaceship. Few remember the incident as well as John Pike. He was called to Houston during the rescue as a technical advisor from Beech Aircraft.  Beech had built the oxygen tanks and John had been a key member of the team that designed and developed them. 

After the astronauts safe return, Pike headed up an investigation at the Beech laboratory in Boulder Colorado working with teams from Rockwell and NASA to determine the cause of the explosion and absolve Beech from any wrongdoing or design deficiencies.

Upon leaving Beech he had the opportunity to join Fairchild Aviation in San Antonio Texas. He found pleasure in piloting people of renown to distant places. While in San Antonio he served in a volunteer position as an advisor to John Baldwin, who was on the staff of the Secretary of Defense.

John retired to a beautiful property on Verde Creek in Center Point Texas where he lived with his wife, Saralynn, who preceded him in death. She was the mother of his children, Jennifer Pike of Los Angeles California and Anthony Austin Pike of Eureka Springs Arkansas, who survive him.

Mr. Pike later moved to Kerrville Texas where he met Arlene Fairchild at New Life Health Foods, which she owned. They married in 1989. John leaves behind Arlene Pike, his wife of 35 years, and her children, Judy Highsmith of Kerrville, Tammy Bergbauer of Highland Lake Colorado and Jack Fairchild of Kerrville.

If he were asked what were his passions, John first would say flying and then golf. As an avid golfer he was a longtime member of River Hill Country Club where he won the Men’s Senior Club Championship in 2000.

He would want to thank a special neighbor, Roger Pelton, for his friendship and assistance, as well as, other friends important in his life, Frank Boyington, Dale Douglas, Rob Norwood, and Carter Whitney.

John’s lifelong dream was to fly at the speed of sound and to break the sound barrier which he was able to accomplish.

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