Cloudy, 29° F
(Jan. 3, 2010)
Wilma G. (Clarke) Pike Fowler, 93, died Jan. 3, 2010, at the Heartland in Powell.
She was born Aug. 24, 1916, in St. Paul, Minn. Ten days later, she was adopted by Alice J. (Clayton) and Elmer S. Clarke.
Wilma was a sickly child, and her adoptive parents weren’t sure they wanted to keep her. They decided to raise her and gave her love and attention. One year and four days later, Wilma’s only brother, Harold, was born.
The family lived in Brainerd, Minn., and later moved to Tacoma, Wash., where they bought an acre of land and built a house. Wilma helped her father, Elmer, build the family’s new home.
Wilma dropped out of school to marry William J. “Bill” Pike on Sept. 10, 1931. She later obtained her GED. They continued to live in Tacoma, where she and Bill bought three lots and built a home.
Their first son, Dennis, was born in 1941, after nine years of marriage. Two years later, another son, Kenneth William, joined the family, and Henry was the third son born of the union.
Bill preceded Wilma in death, and she married Wilford Fowler in November 1981.
Wilma worked on the family’s farm in Gooding, Idaho, and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She enjoyed canning and food dehydration.
She was preceded in death by her two husbands, William Pike and Wilford Fowler.
Wilma is survived by her sons Dennis Pike (Diane) of Valley, Wash., Kenneth Pike (Eileen) of Lovell, and Henry Pike (Marla) of Billings; her brother, Harold Clarke; eight grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 10 a.m. at the LDS Church on Avenue E, with viewing held one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at Crown Hill Cemetery.
