ERROL Linton Clarke was remembered last Sunday, April 9, as a stellar father and grandfather, a man who went above and beyond the call of duty for his family.

In a service dominated by tributes from his children and grandchildren at the Oaklawn Memorial Chapel in Dunsinane, Manchester, the retired accountant was eulogised by daughter and

Jamaica Observer Associate Editor Petulia Clarke as a much loved father and grandfather.

Clarke passed away at home in Newport, Manchester on March 12 at the age of 69 from a pneumonia-induced cardiac arrest. He was interred at Oaklawn.

Born on April 10, 1947 in Stirling, Westmoreland to Cleveland and Myrtle Clarke, Errol would go on to marry Veronica Brown in Manchester and fathered five children, one of whom predeceased him. He was also stepfather to three.

He was eulogised as a ‘super dad’ who took on various roles — always being involved in his children’s lives and activities.

“All the kids will tell you one thing about daddy — he cared. He would never shout at us or do much discipline; he preferred the laid-back parenting style, and then when necessary, he would become super dad,” Petulia remembered.

“Jacinth, who at age nine was stricken with rheumatic fever and hospitalised for three months, remembers that he would visit her every day with box milk and bananas… Me? I remember having an issue with my ears, a condition that required me to be at the hospital often, and daddy would carry me on his back to Mandeville Hospital to get treatment each time.”

Lorane and Christopher, two of the stepchildren, remembered an intelligent, doting man who helped with homework, and an excellent cook known for his Friday fish teas, and his Saturday duckunoo (blue draws or tie-a-leaf) and mackerel rundown.

An ardent reader and a man keen on numbers, Clarke did tax returns for companies and individuals up to the time of his death.

In the last several years he was a blessing to his grandchildren, helping with homework, teaching them to dance to Old Hits, and telling them stories.

He leaves behind four children, three stepchildren and eleven grand and step-grandchildren.

“There was never a dull moment when they all gathered around him — from playing baseball and cricket in the yard, to skipping, and holding a ‘reasoning’ on the corner. For his age, he was extremely active and could run and catch a ball better than many of us,” Petulia remembered.

As such, it was only fitting that most of the tributes came from the children and grandchildren — a piano rendition of

Kumbaya My Lord from granddaughter Julianna Medeiros; a song from daughter Jacinth Clarke-Barnes; a poem by granddaughters Julianna and Shantelle and Kacyon Barnes; and the scripture readings by granddaughters Shaneiqua Clarke and Shantelle, and daughter Nadine Clarke.

In a message to the loved ones, officiating minister Rev Ransford Hendricks charged the grieving family to keep the deceased’s memory alive, and to take comfort in the fact that he lived a fulfilling life and accomplished his purpose.