Gail Elinor (Bluemer) Pike

Gail Elinor Pike, of St. Albans, VT passed away peacefully Tuesday, May 20, 2025, in Wurtsboro, NY with family. She was 84. 

The daughter of the late Edwin H. Bluemer and Elinor Philleson Bluemer, she was born on October 15, 1940, in Holyoke, MA.               

She grew up and lived in the Hampton Ponds area of Holyoke on her family farm and attended and graduated from Holyoke Schools in 1958. She married Henry H. Pike, Jr. in 1959 also of Holyoke and together had two children.

She worked for many years as a skilled Bookkeeper Accountant. She had many passions in her life, one becoming a Certified Scuba Diver Instructor, training and teaching together with her husband, co-owning a Dive Shop in West Springfield, MA in the 1970s. She often frequented King’s Beach, Newport, RI on those diving excursions, one of her favorite ocean beaches, which she was able to return to shortly before her passing. After divorcing in the 70’s, she worked at K & M Electronics in West Springfield, MA as Human Resource Manager until she retired 18 years later in 1995 moving up to St. Albans. She lived on Lake Champlain in the cottage her Dad had built. She filled her days with a few different jobs, not being one to sit idle for too long, working for a bank, a car dealership and as Immigration Services Contractor. She eventually started to deliver a few newspaper routes for the Burlington Free Press, driving, which she loved to do, for about 8 years, then joined the St. Albans Messenger delivering their paper.

She was always thinking of others and what she could do to be of help to those in need. Soon after she was hired as a volunteer driver for Green Mountain Transit’s Volunteer Driver Program on May 1, 2008. She provided transportation to those in need of their medical appointments. She was so willing to go the extra mile, she was often asked and willingly answered the call to travel to Dartmouth, NH hospitals and Boston, MA hospitals when no one else was available or wanted to drive the distance. She once answered the call that took her 13 hours during a Nor’easter storm heading right to Boston. She cared about her passengers, and often went on her own accord to provide rides for her “friends” she had made during those rides to grocery stores, pharmacies, and Costco trips. Those things kept her going. She retired from driving in March 2025 after 17 years of service.

She also had a deep love for knitting and crocheting blankets, lapghans, baby clothes for babies in the NICU units and animal blankets for shelter animals waiting for adoption. She especially provided many blankets for the military veterans that were donated to the VA Hospital in Wappingers Falls, NY.

Gail is survived by her daughter Diane G. Pike of Wurtsboro, NY, her son David H. Pike & his wife Gloria of St. Albans, VT, grandson Michael D. Pike of Florida and girlfriend Taylor Steiner, great grandson Caleb M. Mayo of Wurstboro, NY, brother Paul Bluemer of Westfield, MA and several nieces and nephews.

Along with her parents she was predeceased by her granddaughter Gennifer D. Mayo in 2022.

She leaves behind many friends in St. Albans who truly gave her joy and happiness and watched out for her for many years. Her family is grateful to them all.

She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, great grandmother and will forever be missed and loved.

A memorial and interment will be held at Forestdale Cemetery in Holyoke, MA at a date to be announced.

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