George Morton Pike died peacefully on May 11, 2026, at the age of 87.

George leaves behind his wife, Sue; daughters Sarah Pike (Gary Murray) and Amy Pike (Anil Khanna); and the enduring memory of their late daughter Rebecca. He was a proud and devoted grandfather to Arden and August Khanna. His brothers Jim (Marilyn) and David (Diane) were his best friends.

Born in 1939, George spent his childhood in small Ontario communities, following his teacher parents wherever work could be found after the war. A graduate of Queen's University with an Honours degree in Mathematics and Physics, he joined IBM in 1961 before helping launch Systems Dimensions Ltd in Ottawa during the early days of Canadian computing. He later joined the Bank of Canada, serving in several executive roles before retiring in 1996.

At Queen’s University, George met Sue Coon while the two played the leads in a 1960 Drama Guild musical. An onstage kiss became the beginning of a 65-year love story filled with travel, music, cottaging, and intellectual sparring. George and Sue never really left the stage, spending decades entertaining friends with stories and a seemingly endless supply of inside jokes.

George was a gifted musician and much sought after piano and banjo player for sing-alongs and Christmas carolling parties. Music poured out of him constantly: humming, whistling, or belting out a baritone hymn around the house or in several Ottawa choirs.

At the family cottage on Lake Opinicon, he spent many happy days chopping wood, baking bread, walking dogs, and endlessly improving his loon nesting platform. George believed deeply in fairness, good questions, and listening carefully. There were no easy answers at the Pike dinner table, only thoughtful conversations. He was proudly progressive, endlessly curious, dryly funny, and impossibly kind.

A service to celebrate George’s life will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, June 19, 2026, at Glebe-St. James United Church, 650 Lyon St. S., Ottawa, Ontario. A reception will follow.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Queen’s University Biological Station. 

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