Damaris Peters Pike

Damaris Peters Pike, a beloved professor, musician, performer, church leader, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, died October 6, 2026, at the age of almost 94. She was a force—a woman of enormous energy, curiosity, talent, and enthusiasm who spent her life making music, teaching, performing, serving, entertaining, and, above all, loving her family and her communities.

Born in Vernon, Texas, Damaris was the older daughter of V. L. Porter and Ila Odom Porter. She was the first in her family to attend college, studying vocal music at Texas Christian University and serving as a cheerleader (she was told to lip-sync her cheers to protect her singing voice).

After first meeting Eugene H. Peters at a Disciples of Christ Church Youth Round Up, she told a friend that she was going to marry him, and she did. In 1963, their young family moved to Hiram, Ohio, beginning what would become a lifelong connection to Hiram College and the Hiram community.

Damaris began her life in Hiram as a stay-at-home mother and devoted faculty wife. She taught piano lessons at home, filled her children's lives with music and activity, and later returned to school at Kent State University to complete her graduate degree while raising her family.

Hiram College became the defining professional chapter of Damaris's life. She joined the faculty in 1969 as Professor of Music and remained until 1998, later becoming Professor Emerita. She served as chair of the music department, founded the Opera Workshop, directed the Hiram Madrigals and the college choir, and later began the community women's chorus, conducting into her 90th year. She continued teaching and directing after her formal retirement. She was also the Hiram College head varsity softball coach for several years, taking her team to Florida for preseason.

Music was never simply a subject she taught. Damaris loved performing. In 1988, she created Women of Note, one-woman programs celebrating women in music and entertainment. She portrayed historical figures ranging from a twelfth-century nun to Beverly Sills and Doris Day. She combined her piano, harpsichord, organ, vocal and research skills into performance engagements throughout the United States and in France. Over the years, she gave more than 1,000 performances—a milestone she was proud to claim.

The Hiram Christian Church was another defining part of Damaris's life. A lifelong churchgoer and elder, Damaris served her congregation and community faithfully. After moving to Texas in her later years, Damaris remained connected through calls, cards, and Zoom church on Sunday mornings. The church community remembered her passion for music and theology, her beaming smile and spirit, and the warmth, hospitality, and love she shared so generously.

Her husband, Gene, died in 1983 at age 54 after a private battle with leukemia. Damaris was 50. Their years together had been filled with family, music, scholarship, and the ordinary pleasures of raising three children. Every summer the family drove from Hiram to Texas to visit relatives, singing camp songs and playing intricate word games along the way.

Damaris married Kenneth E. Pike, who became her beloved companion for the next four decades. In addition to their home in Hiram, they shared a magical place on Sanibel Island, Florida for 38 years, where they welcomed family and friends and created a space filled with warmth, generosity, and countless memories. Damaris adored Ken, and their life together was a cherished part of her story.

Damaris never really learned how to sit still. Even while watching football, she had to be folding laundry or doing something else. She enjoyed crossword puzzles, answering Jeopardy! questions, and playing cards with her grandchildren. She loved the Cleveland Indians—now the Guardians—the Browns and the Cavaliers. She was cheerful and fun, full of energy, with a bit of a diva in her. Even in her final years, she worried about “just sitting” in her recliner.

Through every chapter of her life, family remained at the center. Damaris adored her children and grandchildren, and her face would still light up at the sound of their voices. Her children remained her great constant throughout her life.

Damaris lived a long, full, exuberant life. She was energetic to the end, curious about the world, happiest when she was doing something, and, as one friend put it, “one of the shining lights.”

She leaves behind her children, David Peters and his wife, Hazel; Jan (Peters) Daum and her partner, Rod; and Carrie (Peters) Icard and her husband, Curt; her grandchildren, Michael and his wife, Elise; Anne and her husband, Kyle, and their daughter Abigail; Beth; Rachel; and Fred and his wife, Denisse; her stepchildren, step-grandchildren, and step-great-grandchildren; her sister, Penelope “Penny” (Porter) Walker; and a large circle of family, friends, former students, colleagues, church members, and Hiram community members who enriched her life.

A memorial service celebrating Damaris's life is being planned. Details will be announced when arrangements are finalized.

In lieu of flowers, the family invites friends and loved ones to share a memory, story, or message of remembrance on The Gabriels Funeral Chapel website. Those who wish may also consider making a donation to the Hiram Christian Church in Damaris’s name.