Michael Patrick Clarke

Michael Patrick Clarke passed away peacefully on June 16, 2023, in Long Island, NY, at the age of 86. Michael was born in Bronx, NY, July 14, 1936, to parents Michael and Winifred Clarke. Though he moved away as a young adult, Michael always held the Bronx near to his heart and took great joy in telling stories about his childhood on Ogden Avenue, where he was raised and where he built friendships that he maintained throughout his life.

Michael received his early education at the Sacred Heart Academy in Bronx, NY, and attended secondary school at the Unification Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1954. Michael went on to receive a bachelor's degree from Catholic University in 1959 and a master's degree in educational psychology from Fordham University.

Michael placed immense value on education, his own as well as the education of others. He described being an educator as his calling and dedicated most of his adult life to improving the lives of youth through teaching and coaching. Michael taught in the Levittown Public School system from 1966 to 1999, where he also coached track, basketball, soft ball, and eventually girls' soccer. Girls' soccer did not exist at Levittown MacArthur High School when he began teaching there, but in 1993, with soccer balls and uniforms donated by friends, Michael started the MacArthur High School girls' soccer program, and often noted this as one of the accomplishments he was most proud of.

Michael was enthusiastic about soccer, and he connected to the sport on multiple levels. Whether he was playing on an adult men's team or coaching a youth team, lining fields on Sunday mornings or attending Long Island Junior Soccer League meetings on weeknights, he was happy to contribute in any way he could. Michael's interest in soccer began in the late 1970's when he began coaching at the Brentwood Soccer Club and it grew quickly from there. In the years that followed, Michael obtained a national coaching license from the NSCAA at Chapel Hill and coached the Suffolk County Women's Soccer team, and the women's team at the New York Empire State Games. Michael served as President of the Brentwood Soccer Club for two terms, served on the Board of the Long Island Junior Soccer League, and in partnership with dedicated colleagues co-founded the Long Island Exceptional Senior Games. Michael was inducted into the Long Island Junior Soccer League Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Eastern New York Hall of Fame in 2012. His contributions to the sport were also recognized by the Nassau County Soccer Coaches Association, who established the Michael Clarke MVP Award, which is awarded annually to the top girls' soccer player in Nassau County. In his later years Michael was a trusted guardian and advocate of the Peter C. Collins Soccer Park in Plainview, NY.

Michael is survived by his beloved second wife, Karen, with whom he spent the last 35 years of his life, his brother Thomas (Sylvia), and sister Mary. Michael is also survived by his daughters Maureen (Robert) and Trisha, his sons Michael (Vincent) and Brian (Christine), and stepchildren, Lauren (Bruce), Christopher (Heather), and Timothy (Lauren Ann), and twelve grandchildren.

Michael was pre-deceased by his first wife Maureen, and his dear sister Anne.

Services will be held at Michael J. Grant Funeral Home, Brentwood, NY on Tuesday, June 20th, 2023. Visitation for family will begin at 3:30pm and continue from 4:00pm to 9:00pm for friends and loved ones. A funeral mass is scheduled for Wednesday, June 21, 9:45am, at St. Anne's Church, 88 Second Avenue, Brentwood, NY. Interment will follow at Queen of All Saints Cemetery, Central Islip, NY.

Michael and Karen are long time donors to Gods Love We Deliver, an organization committed to bringing nutritious, prepared meals to New Yorkers most in need. In lieu of flowers, friends and family are invited to make a donation to Gods Love We Deliver, www.glwd.org