Tribute to Mike Clarke

Mike Clarke

The following tribute was delivered by the sons of Mike Clarke, Matthew and Andrew, at his funeral at Edmonton Parish in North London on 10 July 2023.

Dad was aware of the pain of the world, and the nonsenses that can cause it, and he met it with a mischievous spirit, always ready to prick pomposity with a joke, undermine any forced formality with a winking playfulness, and by quietly working all his life to make the world around him a better place.

And he never stopped trying, right up until the end, doing work in the hospital; simply and quietly 'getting on with it' - applying the skills he had to make things run a little bit better.

Let us give you an idea of what he did.

Michael Thomas Clarke was born on 21 January 1943, in West Ruislip. Mike's parents were both from the south of Ireland. His Dad, Tom, built planes for the war effort, and his Mum, Nora, was a housekeeper for the rich folk of west London and a good cook to boot.

They moved to Chalk Farm, where he spent most of his younger years. The Rosary Primary School on Haverstock Hill, St Dominic's in Hampstead, and then Cardinal Vaughan School in Kensington.

He was frighteningly bright and a model student by most accounts, but a little distracted and lazy by his own. He, of course, ultimately excelled, and left school with a clutch of A levels

But his true focus was having a good time with friends: music, and theatre, and football and having a drink. He met some of his life long friends at the St Dominic's youth group.

He was a teacher for a time, teaching Biology although he had very little grounding in Biology himself, and did it, so he said, by keeping one chapter in the textbook ahead of the students. He also had a stint selling Menswear at Moss Bros.

Then, in the early 60s, he got a job at Lloyds Bank who, seeing he had a Maths A Level, moved him to a newly formed department: 'computing and programming', and so he started his main career at the very forefront of the computer revolution that has so transformed our modern world. Combining his gifts for numbers, for detail, and for organisation, it was perfect for him.

But outside of his work, he never gave up his love of singing, and live performance.

He joined the Lloyds Bank Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society and became a leading man. There he played Nathan Detroit in 'Guys and Dolls', Oscar Madison in 'The Odd Couple', appeared in 'Cabaret', 'Half A Sixpence' and many more, all performed in the West End.

With The Friends of St Edmunds, he put on musicals and music hall reviews in the church hall - he would usually be the host, and the glue that held it all together. He joined the Choir at St Edmunds, and everyone in the church would know what the tune was when he was singing as he led the entire congregation with his powerful bass. In the words of Maire, our organist: "He had a calming influence on all of us. He offered many sensible suggestions especially when we approached anything challenging and was supportive in every way. He was loved by all of us and is deeply missed."

Later on, after retirement, he joined the Concord Players. Dad was still performing either singing or leading dramatic roles well in to his 70s. In 2017 he starred in 'The Hebrew Lesson' by Wolf Mankowitz with the Incognito Group.

Outside of that he was an avid golfer, and sometimes a good one. And, at the Bush Hill Park Golf Club he of course became the resident host of many entertainment nights. He implemented a Handicap System which, though it contradicted the governing rules of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, made the mixed ability group fairer.

And outside of all that, as a part of this parish and community, he became a school governor and eventually, after we had both left, chair of governors of St Edmunds Primary School.

He was the chair of the finance committee for this parish of St Edmunds. He was also the Chair of Church Street Residents' association.

And, following Mum and her work with the National Justice & Peace Network, he joined and became their national treasurer. In the words of Anne Peacey, vice-chair of the NJPN:

"In my mind I have a clear picture of Mike during our many meetings at CAFOD, reclining at the back of the gathering, until called upon to present his financial reports. His approach was direct, along the lines of 'this is what we spent, this is what we have left. Any questions?'

We knew with certainty that Mike had all the information at his fingertips and that NJPN was in very safe financial hands. Using his natural talent for numbers, for detail, and organisation, he put the work in to make his communities run better, to work properly, so they could carry on putting good back into the world."

And outside of all that he got married and had a family. In the early 60s he met one Lauretta Lanigan (Lauri) at a weekend for the Priory Choir at Spode House. They would go to Spode sometimes twice a year, and socialise at The Hampstead Catholic Club at weekends. They were married in 1968 - a marriage lasting 55 years. In 1972 they moved to Edmonton. The house always full of laughter and people chatting. During these nights he taught us how to appreciate a good whiskey, the importance of sharing a bottle of wine with friends, and, most importantly, of making guests feel like our house was theirs. And he would tell long rambling jokes (complete with accents) and effortlessly occupy the centre of the party.

One of the last things Dad said to us, as he lay in the hospital bed - with my mum, my brother, and me alongside - was 'I'm terribly sorry about this chaps'. He was sad that he was causing pain, even as he suffered himself. Right until the end, he was still working in order to care about others. In his own way he was looking out for those around him, quietly working to make the lives of the people around him better.

Michael Clarke died in the early morning of 25th June 2023.

His funeral was on 10 July 2023 at St Edmund's RC Church, Edmonton.

The presider was Fr Emmanuel Ogunnaike MSP

Concelebrants were Fr Gerry Onyejuluwa MSP, Fr Noel Ugoagwu MSP, and Fr Dominic Robinson SJ (representing Westminster J&P Commission)

Representatives of the National Justice and Peace Network and Pax Christi were in the congregation.

See a recording of the Mass here at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=M95OhVofYy8