Slain Reggae Girl Tarania “Plum Plum” Clarke’s life may have been brief, but the scores of well-wishers who flocked Excelsior High School Auditorium yesterday to bid farewell to the once-promising and well-loved footballer, were enough to suggest that her impact on the lives she touched will last a long time.

Clarke was taken away in the tender flower of youth when she was stabbed during a dispute with another female in Half-Way-Tree, St Andrew, on October 31.

She was remembered yesterday as a solid rock, a shoulder to lean on, and a wonderful daughter, niece, aunt, cousin, friend, and teammate, who touched, taught, impacted, and loved so many.

Tribute after tribute reflected on the kind-heartedness, positive influence, selflessness, and charismatic personality of Clarke, who was rated highly as the best locally based player in the Reggae Girlz squad.

Some lauded Clarke’s incredible positivity and her innate gift to motivate others.

As a member of the teams of Excelsior High School and Waterhouse Football Club, Clarke was one of the few players to represent Jamaica at all levels — Under-15, Under-17, Under-20, and the senior Reggae Girlz team — and possessed immense potential that could have seen her achieve a successful professional football career at the highest level.

At the time of her passing, the outstanding utility player was preparing to attend Daytona College in Florida in January with the expectation of furthering her football ambitions.

Clarke was a member of the Reggae Girlz team to the Pan-American Games in Lima, Peru, in July. She also featured and scored two goals for the team that comfortably progressed from the first round of the Concacaf Women’s Caribbean Olympic Qualifiers in Jamaica in October. She was also a member of the team that participated in the historic friendly contest against Nottingham Forest female team in England.

During yesterday’s thanksgiving service, some on the outside managed to flash faint smiles, but that was far from the pall of gloom which descended over Clarke’s body inside the auditorium.

Her casket was decorated by photographs in a collage that reflected the multifaceted and colourful life that was Clarke’s.

Her parents Charmaine Riley-Clarke and Warren Clarke were well supported by family members as well as other relatives and well-wishers, among them government ministers and members of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) administration, including President Michael Ricketts.

Xavier Gilbert, who virtually moulded Clarke’s football career at Excelsior and Waterhouse, spoke glowingly of the player in his remembrance.

“I had the distinct pleasure of coaching one of our best female footballers for many years. And there are two moments I will never forget — the day I met Tarania and the day she took her last breath.

“Tarania was a sweetheart. If you came in contact with her you would be sure to love her; you could not help yourself. Her peers will tell you that she was easy to get along with. Her teachers will tell you that she was a quiet and diligent student.

“She was disciplined, always respectful, and always conducted herself well. She was never involved in fights and would be the first to walk away from any situation that would escalate into an altercation,” Gilbert shared.

He added: “As a football player, Tarania was a coach’s dream player, not only because of her talent, but because of her selfless attitude. She was a coach’s dream player because she was able to play in every position on the field and did well in those positions, too, and she would always put the team and others first.

“It’s going to be hard to forget someone who gives you so much to remember. A thousand words won’t bring her back. I know, because I’ve tried; neither will a thousand tears. I also know that because I’ve cried. Plum Plum lived a wonderful life, one in which she almost achieved everything she set out to achieve, and she would have achieved all, if her life was not cut short.”

Clarke’s Reggae Girlz teammate Khadija “Bunny” Shaw also shared a few words on behalf of teammates.

“We all have our own personal special memories of the mark she left on our lives, and it is hard for us to even be up here sharing our thoughts out loud, trying to focus on the happy times we had with her rather than the fact that she is no longer here with us today. I am certain of two things, though, she would have wanted us all to be here with our happiest thoughts of our times spent together and, secondly, she is still here with us very strong in spirit. For the memories I had with her I can tell you she is a strong person through and through in character, personality, and presence.

“As we stand here as members of the Reggae Girlz team she will always be with us. One thing I can recall was her ways in the locker room,” Shaw said as she fought back tears.

“I remember the last Olympic qualifiers that we played here in Kingston. We were all in the locker room vibing, and a song came on and we were all trying to do the latest dance moves. She was laughing at us and eventually said, ‘Watchya, my girl a wah unoo a do man?’ and then showed us how to do it.

“On the field she was always willing to give of her best and was always open to learning. Football being the biggest part of our memories will always make us smile. Plum Plum’s presence will be missed among us all, but it will never be forgotten.

“To most of us Reggae Girlz Plum Plum was more than just a teammate; to some she was a friend, to others a sister. We could stand here all day and write and talk about Plum Plum, but she will always be remembered by her Reggae Girlz squad, and on this day she would still tell most of us ‘gwaan enjoy unuself man and be happy’,” she added.

Clarke’s body was interred at Meadowrest Memorial Gardens in St Catherine.