Stewart Pike

      Stewart Pike, age 82, of Myton,  a proud member of the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, passed away surrounded by his loved ones on November 30, 2025.
    He was born on August 3, 1943, to Lawrence and Nellie Perank Pike in Roosevelt and raised in Myton, Utah. At the young age of three, Stewart lost his mother to pneumonia. He was then raised by his grandmother, Gladys Coho Johnson Perank, known to many as Turquoise Woman, and was cared for by his aunts, uncles, and cousins. During those years, Ute was the only language spoken in the home and Stewart became fluent in his Native tongue. He was known for speaking the language with a precision and beauty passed down through countless generations.
    As a young boy growing up in Myton, he met the love of his life, Elaine Fenn. The two grew up together, and as a teenager, Stewart worked for Elaine's father, Aldon Fenn, hauling hay alongside her brothers for the wage of one dollar a day. During that time, he spent a short period living with the Fenn family and quickly became a part of their lives. Their friendship grew into a lifelong love and they were married on January 7, 1966. Together they shared fifty-three years of marriage and raised four children, Alison, Kolene, Christa, and Cleve, before Elaine's passing on November 11, 2018.
    From 1961 to 1964, Stewart proudly served his country in the United States Army as a member of the elite 82nd All-American Airborne Division. Trained at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he specialized in parachute assault operations to seize and hold strategic areas. The 82nd Airborne was known for its readiness to deploy anywhere in the world within eighteen hours and was recognized as the United States Global Response Force.
After his honorable service, Stewart returned home to start a family. Shortly after, he and Elaine moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended trade school and became a certified heavy equipment operator, mastering more than half a dozen types of machinery. The couple later returned to Myton, where they would live the rest of their lives and Stewart began work building roads, bridges, and water systems throughout the region.
    Before entering public service, Stewart and Elaine purchased their first racehorse. That decision began a lifelong passion they shared together. Starting with Quarter Horses, chariot and flat saddle racing, they quickly shifted their attention to Thoroughbreds, which they bred, raised, trained, and raced for more than fifty years. It became a true family endeavor, with their children sharing in the work and the excitement of competition. Over the decades, Stewart and Elaine's horses won hundreds of races across Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Nevada, Nebraska, New Mexico, and California. Their love of horse racing inspired Elaine's parents, Aldon and Ada, who became full-time owners and trainers of their own racing stable as well. They carried on that pursuit for many years until Aldon's passing in 1987.
    In the late 1970s, Stewart sought election to the Ute Tribal Council, now referred to as the Business Committee, which serves as the governing body of the Ute Indian Tribe. He was elected to represent the Uncompahgre Band and went on to dedicate nearly three decades of his life to that service. Throughout his tenure, he held multiple leadership positions, including several terms as Chairman and Vice Chairman, and was a long-standing member of the six-member governing body entrusted with overseeing the Tribe's governmental, economic, and cultural affairs.
    Although he represented the Uncompahgre Band, Stewart was dedicated to serving all members of the Ute Indian Tribe. He was a fierce protector of the Tribe's sovereignty and jurisdiction, often standing firm in defense of Tribal rights and self-determination. His leadership guided the Tribe through several historic accomplishments, including the water settlement between the Ute Indian Tribe, the State of Utah, and the United States Federal Government. This agreement secured hundreds of millions of dollars for the Tribe and became a generational financial foundation. He was also instrumental in the return of almost 100,000 acres of Tribal lands from the Federal Government, known as the Naval Oil Shale Reserve Number Two (NOSR 2), which was a significant restoration of Tribe's Reservation.
    Stewart's leadership and vision were further demonstrated in the creation of the Uintah Basin and Ute Tribe Revitalization Fund, established in 1995 to ensure the long-term benefit of severance taxes in Utah held in trust by the United States for the Ute Indian Tribe and its members. Recognized by many as the driving force behind this effort, he recognized the opportunity and understood the importance of returning these funds back to Tribe and the Uintah Basin. This fund has generated tens of millions of dollars for the Tribe and surrounding area and was meant to continue indefinitely to provide sustainable revenue for vital projects throughout the Reservation. In addition, Stewart laid the earliest framework with the Tribe's financial advisor, John Jurrius, for the Tribe's "Financial Plan", which was overwhelmingly approved by two referendum votes of the Tribal membership and is still used today to guide the Tribe's resource development, investment strategy, governmental operations, and provide dividends to every Tribal member. Together, these efforts established a financial structure that continues to strengthen and sustain the Tribe's economic future as well as enhance and preserve the Ute way of life for current and future generations.
    As an Indian allottee himself, Stewart deeply understood the challenges faced by individual Indian mineral owners. He worked tirelessly to protect their interests and founded two Ute Allottee Associations dedicated to promoting their rights, fair treatment, and long-term benefit. Through these associations, he sought to work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to ensure that individual Indian landowners would have a voice in how their resources were developed and managed, strengthening both their economic independence and their connection to the land.
    Stewart's legacy is one of service, strength, and love for his family, his Tribe, and his people. His life's work, both as a leader and as a husband, father, and friend, will continue to inspire all who knew him.
    Stewart is survived by his children, Alison (Jim) Whipple, Loma, Colorado; Christa Pike (Richard) Kofford, Myton; Cleve (Brittney) Pike, Roosevelt; grandchildren, Brandon Kofford, Miranda Butzlaff, Alaine West, Haley Maistas, LJ Valencia, Gunner Kofford, Stockton Pike, Jackson Pike, Bronson Pike, Haydon Pike, Hadlie Smith; 12 great-grandchildren; a brother, Vaughn Pike, Neola; and many nieces and nephews, cousins, and other relatives.
    He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Elaine; daughter, Kolene Sixkiller; grandchildren, Brandy ,James and Ann Kofford; brother, Julian Reed; sister-in-law, Annette Pike and a great-grandson, Isaac Pike.  
    Funeral services for will be held on Saturday, December 6, at 10:00 AM at the Fort Duchesne Community Building. There will be a viewing and wake on Friday evening at the community building starting 6:00 PM.
     Burial will be in the Roosevelt Memorial Park, with military honors presented.