Luverne C. “Bud” Pike, 95, passed away of natural causes on May 20, 2018, in Austin, Minnesota.

Bud was born on Oct. 20, 1922, to Verne C. Pike and Dorothy Syck Pike on the family farm outside of Brownsdale, Minnesota. He graduated from Austin High School in 1940.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1942 and volunteered for submarine duty.  He served three war patrols as a yeoman on the USS Sailfish in the Pacific, where the boat won a Presidential Unit Citation for her 10th patrol, Bud’s first. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in October of 1945.

Bud married Evelyn Johnson on Jan. 30, 1944. They had five children, Robert, Richard, David, DeeAnne, and Donna. They lived most of their married life in Grundy Center, Iowa, where Bud worked at Hawkeye Bank & Trust, formerly the Farmers Savings Bank, until he retired as president. He also served a term as president of the Iowa Bankers Association in the early 1980s.

An active member in the Grundy Center community, Bud served on various local boards and committees, including the Board of Education, the Town and Country Golf Course, the AMVETS and VFW. He was a member of the Grundy Center Volunteer Fire Department for over 30 years. Bud was also chairman of the Iowa Gaming and Racing Commission for several years as well as being active in the World War II Submarine Veterans organization and serving a term as president of the Iowa Chapter.

Bud was also an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching many of the high school sports teams in action, particularly wrestling and girl’s volleyball.

Following Evelyn’s death in 2010, Bud moved back to his hometown of Austin, where he lived with his significant other, Genevieve Reagan, until he passed away.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Evelyn; son, Robert Pike; his brother, Joe Pike; and his sister, Carol Anderson.

Bud is survived by his older sister, Evalyn Hartson in Minnesota; sons, Richard Pike, Des Moines, Iowa, and David Pike and wife Debbie, Fleming Island, Florida; daughters, DeeAnne Pike and husband Greg Meenan. Traverse City, Michigan, and Donna King and husband, Scott, Des Moines; three grandchildren, Jennifer Pike, Greenville, Texas, Bryan King, Des Moines, and Brittany Cooley and husband, Craig, and their three children, Des Moines; and sister-in-law, Jackie Pike, Austin.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 24, at the First Methodist Church in Grundy Center with the Rev. Jerry Miller officiating.  A visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 23, at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary and at 10 a.m. until the time of the service on Thursday at the church. Interment will be at Rose Hill Cemetery in Grundy Center with military rites by American Legion Post 439 and AMVET Post 17.