Obituary

Please view videos of Jon’s photo montage and Celebration of Life by clicking on this link:
https://www.life-tomotion.com/jon-pike

Jonathan (Jon) Heyer Pike was born on July 30, 1958, in Hollywood, California, to Marjorie Elizabeth Pike and Alvin Vernon Pike. Jon was a true rarity – a second-generation Angeleno (his maternal grandparents having settled in Los Angeles after emigrating from Switzerland). Two years after Jon was born he was joined by his sister, Lori.

The Pike family moved to San Gabriel at some point before Jon started school. Jon’s attitude toward school: “Who needs it?” He had already taught himself to read at age 3. And once he discovered books, he was on a path of constant learning, usually far more in-depth than his teachers had in mind. Jon was curious about everything.

The Pikes remained in the same house (which was frequently being added to) until Jon graduated from high school. Shortly afterward, the Pike clan moved to Irvine, a new city that had been started among the orange groves of the aptly named Orange County. Jon began attending local community colleges, mostly pursuing electronics courses, but also throwing in a mix of music and other classes that interested him. There was a reason that Jon stopped attending college, but in recent years nobody in the Pike family could agree as to what that reason was. Jon always regretted not finishing his degree, but not enough to resume his official studies.

From his father Jon inherited his intelligence, an avid curiosity, and a keen sense of humor (mostly involving puns and practical jokes). From his mother he received a different kind of intelligence, a generous heart, and a gentleness of spirit. It was all of these qualities that attracted Marcia King when she and Jon met at a Mensa open house in May 1991. Their relationship had a rocky start, but eventually they were able to work things out, and they developed a deep and abiding love for each other.

On Christmas day in 1999 Jon gave Marcia a Christmas card. In it he had written the following message: “There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now. Will you…?” Marcia stared at him for a moment and then said, “Oh no. You have to ask the question.” And Jon did: “Will you marry me?” Of course she said yes! In typical Jon-and-Marcia fashion, they were married on April Fool’s Day in 2000. “We wanted people to wonder whether we had really gotten married,” Marcia explained at the time.

Marcia had two children, Daniel and Heather, with her first husband. Living with their father in Ohio during their teen years, they didn’t really get to know Jon until they reached adulthood. As adults, they both grew to appreciate Jon’s steady nature, his willingness to share his far-flung knowledge, and his devotion to family. They ultimately came to see Jon as their father rather than as a stepfather.

Jon’s lack of college degree did not hold him back from a career as an electronics technician or engineer at a variety of companies. His hobbies also reflected his electronics interest (amateur radio, building audio speakers, high-power model rocketry, computers, and various electronics projects). His hobbies also reflected his wide array of other interests (astronomy, working on Alfa Romeo cars, hiking, and trying new beers).

Sadly, Jon’s last year was an assault on his most prized aspects. A cruel disease robbed him of his ability to reason and to speak. But even toward the end, he still had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, like he was trying to crack a joke just by looking at us.

Through it all, Jon showed a remarkable willingness to fight against the disease, and to do whatever it would take to fight for his life. But his battle ended on the afternoon of November 25, 2024. Jon was preceded in death by his mother and father; his daughter, Heather King; and his grandson, Jarod Dowdell. He is survived by his wife, Marcia King; his son, Daniel King; his sister, Lori Uebersax; and his brother-in-law, David Uebersax.

A celebration of Jon’s life will be held on January 17, 2025 at 2:00 PM at O’Connor Mortuary in Laguna Hills, California.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Glioblastoma Foundation, to help find therapies to transform glioblastoma from a terminal disease to a treatable disease.
https://glioblastomafoundation.org/get-involved/donate