Jimmy's upbringing in Carrollton, GA, was filled with sports, fishing, and hunting with friends, family, and specifically his older brother, Homer ("Buggy") Pike. He had an active tenure at Carrollton High School as co-captain of the football team before graduating in 1969. After high school, he enrolled at the University of West Georgia, where he joined the Sigma Nu fraternity before graduating in 1973. Following college, he served in the United States Air Force before following his passion for football for the next couple of years as an assistant coach, bringing him to Cartersville, GA, where he met his wife of 42 years, Dianne Wheeler Pike. They had a son on Jimmy's 30th birthday, James ("Will") William Pike.
Jimmy's entrepreneurial spirit led him to the insurance business in 1980 when he founded The Pike Insurance Agency. He later acquired a Century 21 franchise in 1986, merging it with his insurance brokerage. This acquisition propelled him to lead the Century 21 brand for the surrounding area for the next 12 years. In 1998, he co-founded Professional Realty Group to start an independent, full-service real estate company. Jimmy's co-founding of Professional Realty Group was a true passion, as his colleagues and co-founder were like family for the rest of his life. He would retire at the end of 2017 to embark on his next chapter of life. Upon retirement, the Bartow Board of Realtors honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award to go along with the numerous awards collected during his career. He was also active with the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors.
Although he loved his work, having a sense of newfound freedom and the boundless ability to pursue his hobbies, travel, and spend more time with his family over the last five years was a blessing. It is difficult to say what he enjoyed most between fishing, boating, hunting, and golf. His lifetime love of the water was vast, and he was equally happy being on his boats on a lake or saltwater. He learned the freshwater fishing craft on the lake at his childhood home before spending many days on lakes in the Southeast while also enjoying the challenge of catching trout at his home in Ellijay, GA, along the Cartecay River. His enjoyment of fishing in the saltwater was just as strong, whether in the Ocean or the rivers of the Golden Isles, where he had a home on St. Simons Island, GA. He was a member of the Allatoona Yacht Club, where he spent considerable time the past few years. Golf was another passion; he played regularly for the majority of his life with friends and his son, Will. He was a club member of the Cartersville Country Club, Sea Island Golf Club and a founding member of Barnsley Gardens Golf Club while always keeping an active membership with the Georgia State Golf Association and the United States Golf Association.
Jimmy had an unwavering love of sports and was very loyal to his favorite teams; thankfully, he was able to experience two recent and unexpected championships from the Braves and UGA. He most looked forward to attending Gameday in Athens with Dianne and Will, where they are both proud Alumni.
Another love in his life was his yellow Labrador Retriever, Bailey. They were rarely apart, regardless of his location or activity.
A social being, Jimmy valued his friendships and stayed closely connected to his high school friends through his Trojan Veterans group and others by spending time at the Elks Lodge or his other favorite spots. He loved his friends profoundly and prioritized seeing them as much as possible.
Jimmy is survived by his loving wife, Dianne Wheeler Pike, of Cartersville, GA, and St. Simons Island, GA; his son, James William Pike (Kristen), of Atlanta, GA; his brother, Homer Clyde Pike, of Carrollton, GA; his sister, Joyce Pike Herschelman (Fred), of Satellite Beach, FL; his aunt, Jo Jones of Cartersville, GA; and uncle, Ralph ("Sonny") Miller (Mary Nell) of Cartersville, GA; along with several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mable Lumsden Pike and Homer Clyde Pike. His many good friends, business associates, and family will miss Jimmy dearly.
The graveside services will be conducted for the family at 10:30 am EST at Sunset Memory Gardens. The visitation will be from 11:30 am EST to 1:30 pm EST on Friday, August 19, 2022, in the Family Life Center of Sam Jones Methodist Church, Cartersville, Georgia, with a memorial service to follow at 2:00 pm EST in the Sanctuary. A reception will be held at Cartersville Country Club after the service.
For those interested, the family requests any donations be made to the Sam Jones Methodist Food Truck, 100 W. Church Street, Cartersville, GA 30120.
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