Gale Hatton Pike

Gale Pike was born in Los Angeles, CA on Union Avenue. His father was Milton Pike (Marlow Amundsen) and his mother, Thelma Marie Hatton. Gale passed away at home in Dana Point, CA in the presence of his family after a courageous battle with lung cancer.

At just eight years old, Gale started his career as an entrepreneur selling magazines door-to-door in Los Angeles. When sales grew too large for him to handle solo, he hired two friends to work for him. Gale went on to run restaurants in California for fifty years, from the desert to the seaside, with grit, humor, innovation, and his wife of sixty-five years, Leonora, by his side. Gale started Pikes Restaurant in Baker, CA with his mother, Thelma, in 1943 and it remained in operation until the 90’s. In the late 50s, Gale and Leonora opened the Gaslight Broiler in Laguna Beach. Situated on the waterfront, Gale fashioned the restaurant after the sidewalk cafes he encountered in France during the Korean War. Using outdoor heaters on a patio was a first for the area and the restaurant was a success. Gale and Leonora went on to open The Steak House, The Beach House Inn (with four different locations in CA), and the Spritz Garden on the UCI Campus.

Whether Gale was on a fishing expedition with his sons and brother-in-law, fixing “Roswell” sandwiches (bologna, peanut butter, and mayo) for his children’s school lunches, racing his Bronco through the Mexican desert (he won the Baja 1000 in 1975), fly fishing Montana’s rivers, or tending to his lush and fruitful garden, Gale unabashedly pursued the beauty in life. At the dinner table, or in one of his many book projects, Gale loved to tell a good story. He was at once cantankerous and generous to a fault and in the end loved by all that knew Gale Pike.

Survived by his lovely wife, Leonora Pike, and his children and their spouses and grandchildren: Matthew and Angela Pike (Nick and Gabriella Pike), Bianca and Cliff Taylor (Ethan and Carmen Taylor), Amanda and Patrick Shea (Daniel and Alessandra Shea), Christian and Stasia Pike (Lauren and Jacob Pike), Noah Pike (Hatton Pike), and his best friend and brother-in-law and his children: Julius Gabriele (Leslie, Peter, Jeff, and Samantha).

Private family burial at Pacific View Memorial Park in Corona del Mar 10/29/2021

www.pacificviewcalifornia.com

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice in his honor