Tommy Pike, who was once president of the Route 66 Association of Missouri for about 20 years, has died.
An obituary had not been posted as of Saturday. Greenlawn Funeral Home North in Springfield, Missouri, did not give details of Pike’s death, citing privacy laws. However, a spokesperson at the funeral home confirmed it handled his arrangements.
Two prominent Route 66 advocates also reported Pike’s death to Route 66 News, the first on Sept. 21.
Pike and his wife, Glenda, lived in Springfield, and each was a longtime advocate of Route 66. Glenda died in 2021.
The city of Springfield, Missouri, said this about the Pikes:
Lifelong Springfieldians Tommy and Glenda Pike are a walking, talking encyclopedia of Mother Road lore and history. In 1989, while antiquing in Halltown, the Pikes came across a sign-up sheet to form a Missouri Route 66 association. They signed up and went to the Route 66 Association of Missouri’s first meeting at STOS Truck Stop in Mount Vernon. The pair have been active members of the association ever since. […]
“We love the slower pace of the Mother Road, its icons – both new and old – and the friends we’ve made along the way,” Glenda said. Tommy has held positions on several Route 66 committees in connection with the National Park Service. The Pikes and their daughter Tonya … spend a lot of time trying to convince cities and towns along the route to invest in their pieces of Route 66.
“It’s an economic development tool,” Tommy says. “If communities embrace their Route 66 history, the tourists will come.”
About 10 years ago, the Pikes sat down with a historian from Missouri State University to discuss their history and Route 66 in general. The interview is about 90 minutes and is well worth your time.
Pike lost the presidency of the Route 66 Association of Missouri when its membership voted him out in 2019. “Roamin’ Rich” Dinkela, a popular social-media promoter of Route 66 based in the St. Louis area, challenged Pike for the association’s top job and won.
Dinkela remains the association’s president.
UPDATE 10/12/2025: Today, I received an email from Tommy’s daughter, Tonya.
Tonya encountered substantial health issues a few days after her father’s death on Sept. 20 that eventually required hospitalization. She’s still recovering. Her driver’s license was also stolen, which put a crimp in settling her father’s affairs.
“Please can you let everyone know that funeral arrangements for my dad are pending and will be announced as soon as possible, but it may be as much as another month?” she wrote. “I’m moving as fast as I can, but due to the many complications that have been thrown in the mix, it is not going to happen as fast as it should. And yes, that is bothering me to no end, but I have little power to change it.”
Tonya said she plans a Friday funeral with a bring-your-own-pizza gathering — not only for the Route 66 community, but also hsi colleagues in the Plymouth Owners Club, Ozarks Antique Auto Club and the railroad.
(Image of Tommy and Glenda Pike courtesy of the city of Springfield, Missouri)