Arlis Eugene Pike

Arlis E. Pike, 78, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, surrounded by his family. Arlis Eugene Pike’s story began on September 26, 1947 in Surry County. The son of the late Alma Goins and Luther Warren Pike, “Shorty” was nicknamed by his father. He moved to Kernersville with his parents and siblings when he was 11. It didn’t take long for Arlis to make friends in his new hometown, many of whom were lifelong and share the kind of stories that stretch the imagination and create folklore. When he was 16, he spotted Marcia Callahan at the Justice Theater. She was 14, too young to date, so they would meet up at the movies with Marcia’s “chaperone”, her little sister Robin, and date. Young love blossomed into a wedding, and they tied the knot on November 14, 1970. In 1972, they were blessed with their first son, Anthony, and in 1974, Jonathan completed the family.

Arlis worked as a greens superintendent at Pine Knolls Golf Course and later Pine Tree Golf Course. During his time at Pine Knolls, he expressed an interest in playing golf, so Marcia bought him a 9-iron, and a legend was born. He learned to play the game with that one club and went on to win the Forsyth Championship in 1990, 1992, and 1995; The North Carolina Amateur in 1992; The Forsyth Senior Championship in 2007, 2009, 2014, and 2015; and the Carolina’s Golf Association Super Senior Championship in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He also won the club championship at Pine Knolls so many times, they renamed it the Arlis Pike Cup. In 1995, after 25 years as a greens superintendent, he became a player on the Senior PGA Tour. During his time on the tour, he qualified for several tournaments, most notably the 1998 Senior Open at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California, and the 1999 Senior Open at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Des Moines, Iowa. Locally, he played in the Vantage Championship in 1998, and he was proud of the large gallery of friends and family that followed him for every hole he played. When his professional golf days were over, and he regained his amateur status, he spent a lot of time in his yard, hitting 200 balls a day or putting for hours on the green he built so he could continue his reign as “The King” and continue to take people’s money on the golf course.

In addition to golf, Arlis was a member of the Tar Heel Beagle Club and thoroughly enjoyed raising and training champion Beagles, as well as talking junk to all the dog traders he encountered at the field trials.

When his sons were playing youth sports, he found great joy in coaching their basketball and baseball teams. He took pride in mentoring and teaching the kids on his teams, and in 1989, he coached the Kernersville Little League 15-year-old All-Star Team to the World Series in Kissimmee, Florida. This team finished 2nd in the United States and 4th in the world. Arlis could still name every kid on the team and called that summer one of the best of his life.

There were only a few things Arlis loved more than golf, and those were his wife, his sons, and his four grandchildren. Chloe, Luke, Dalton, and Lilly were his pride and joy, and if you asked him about them, he would certainly tell you. He might even tell you if you didn’t ask. There was nothing he would rather do than spend time with them, taking them on an annual summer day trip to Hanging Rock, going on random breakfast and lunch dates, and making frequent phone calls just to check in. He was known to pose for a selfie, play a mean game of Blackjack or Hold ‘Em, and buy them too much junk food. Whatever sport they played, he was there. And those grandkids, they love their Poppy. He was their hero.

Arlis was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Marcia Callahan Pike; a brother, Dennis Pike; sisters, Pamela Pike Brewer, Phyllis “Nootsie” Locklear, and Vickie “Sissy” Pike Long.

Left to remember his smile, his charm, his antics, and to carry on his legacy are his sons and daughters-in-law, Anthony and Amanda Pike, and Jonathan and Jennifer R. Pike; his grandchildren, Chloe, Dalton, Luke, and Lilly. Cherishing his memory are his special friend, Linda Holder; his brothers, Grayson Pike (LaVerne) and Tony Pike (Lori); Sisters-in-Law, Robin Callahan Gautier and April Callahan Daniello (Frank); and Brothers-in-Law, Larry Callahan (Betty) and Barry Callahan (Lynn); he also leaves behind many nieces, nephews, and friends.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 3, 2026 at The Crossing Church – North Main Campus in Kernersville. Burial will follow at Pine Grove Methodist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Friday, January 2, 2026 at Hayworth-Miller Kernersville Chapel.

The family would like to thank the many friends and family who supported and visited Arlis over the past 18 months, the nurses and staff at Summerstone Health and Rehabilitation Center, and Liberty Home Care and Hospice.

Memorials may be made to Pine Grove Global Methodist Church Cemetery Fund, 1018 Piney Grove Rd, Kernersville, NC 27284