AIDY CLARK 16th December 1966 – 20th April 2012

Tuesday 1st MayThis was a funeral with a difference.  Some described it as “amazing”.  Everything that happened that day was how Aidy had planned it; few of us could have expected the day to go so smoothly.  The family wish to express their gratitude to all those who travelled to Scarborough from all parts of the country to attend the funeral and apologise to those who were unable to find a place inside the Chapel because of the overwhelming number of mourners, also those of you who were unable to come we know that we were in your thoughts that day.  The cortège left Aidy’s house and were escorted through Scarborough to the Chapel by a large procession of Bikers – Trikes, Choppers, Harleys, Easy Riders and the occasional Sports bike. At every roundabout/junction (and there were many!) our way was made clear by a motorcycle stopping the traffic!  For those who stood waiting at the Chapel they had no idea what was happening apart from the distant roar of bikes becoming louder and louder as we neared our destination.  As the mourners readied themselves to walk into the Chapel the bikers in salute gave their engines full throttle creating a deafening crescendo of noise and then suddenly total silence.Inside the Chapel the service, led by the Rev. Mark Haynes, began in true Aidy fashion with the playing of “Highway to Hell” by AC/DC.  As promised to Aidy his partner Angie gave a humorous, loving and heartfelt eulogy of their lives together over the past 12 years telling stories of the adventures they had experienced.  Not only were there tears of sadness, but there was laughter and tears from their antics together, even surprise about some of his achievements and interests.  There then followed a Fishermans Hymn.  More tears were shed as Aidy’s coffin left the Chapel to Blake Shelton’s Country and Western version of “Home”.  A great many mourners joined the family in the cemetery for the interment and afterwards at the “Anchorage” where they were greeted by a Fishermans’ pub full of so many friendly faces old and new.  Aidy would have appreciated this fantastic send off and been even more impressed that those of you from Easingwold and surrounding villages came back to the Commercial to celebrate his life with a ‘few’ beers!  We all loved Aidy so very much and that shone through.Aidy had so many different musical phases in his life as a Teddy Boy with suede shoes and a perfect quiff, Mod, Rocker just to name a few. His hobbies included being a Biker which saw him ride a Fizzi, Lambretta and Harley; but the most constant hobby from a young age was his love of fishing – sea and freshwater.  He was a member of the England Fly Fishing Team and took up fishing at sea for a living.  He passed his Skippers Certificate but failing health cut short his ambition to be in command of his own vessel. Aidy always had wise words for those with a problem, so here are ours “don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. In true Ozzy style my final words are “See you on the other side” bro!!  Gill Johnson I knew Aidy Clark!It came as a great shock to me when I was told that Aidy Clark was dead. Just 45 years old, only a year or so older than me, someone who had been part of my life for over thirty years.I first met Aidy in the late 1970’s in Stillington. We were both mutual friends of Jason Tribe, he came over one day to Jason’s house, he was a very imposing bloke even at 11 or 12, he seemed as wide as he was high. When you are ten or eleven your older (only a year) peers don’t always accept you and some regard you with contempt but not Aidy, although he would ridicule and rib you Aidy always accepted you as part of his world. Easingwold School back in the late 70’s and early 80’s seemed to be full of fun and fighting, it seemed everyone in the school knew Aidy Clark and to be his and Robert Nelson’s friends meant a certain amount of protection was afforded as you could always rely on them to stick up for you when required. School sauntered on and as we all grew up we all managed to grow taller than Aidy but he seemed to grow even wider. Not only did we have School discos to attend but we also had village dances which were held virtually every weekend, sometimes you could go to a disco at Stillington Club and then in the same evening go to the disco at Stillington Village. Aidy and Jason were forever chasing girls from School and further afield, from parties to discos they were always pursuing some girl or other which meant the rest of us could follow in their wake. I have abiding memories of Aidy telling me about the new girl in his life who he had met at a Football Club dance only for him to declare undying allegiance to another he had met the following week, I could never keep up. A lot of my memories of Easingwold School, village dances and just the general social life of that time featured Aidy whether it was a central role or one on the fringes Aidy was part of my life and of so many others throughout the area.Aidy and Dave Willis (owner of Screenprint and Display in Easingwold) used to come round to the Town Hall on Saturday mornings (after rumbling potatoes for Cooke’s fish shop) when we were teenagers and have a look through the print hall when I was tidying up or more usually painting the floor (I did start on the shop floor!). Dave Willis told us both that he was going to Leeds when he left school to go to printing college and study print management, and before we knew it the year after Dave had started Aidy enrolled on the same course albeit a year behind. I went to the same technical college as Aidy and Dave, Kitson College of Technology based in Leeds, the print section was housed in Leeds Polytechnic at that time. During his teenage years his musical tastes changed and so did his taste in motorbikes from FS1E Yamahas to scooters (boy, did I tease him about scooters!) I myself was always into motorbikes but spent most of my time crashing them, something which Aidy always teased me about. Aidy was once again on hand to show me the ropes and help me navigate through the Leeds of the 1980s (usually where the cheapest places to drink were and which bars all the pretty girls went in) when a naïve country boy hit town. During this time I got to know Aidy’s sister Gill as I used to leave my FS1E Yamaha moped outside their house in Easingwold before Aidy and I used to either catch the bus to York or thumb a lift on York Road before catching a commuter train to Leeds.In my second year at Print College Aidy was living in Leeds so my commute was a little less entertaining but we saw each other frequently and did enjoy some good nights out over the years with people from my course, Dave’s and Aidy’s, some I remember better than others!After leaving Print college I ended up back in Easingwold working here and Aidy had a brief stint working as a rep for an envelope company and came to see to sell me some of their wares. Over the next few years he changed direction in his career but I still saw him every six months or so when he was back in the area either for night out or visiting family. He always had time for a pint and some banter which usually consisted of taking the micky out of me for ten minutes and occasionally pretending to punch me just to wind me up. After my girlfriend (later to be my wife) met him at a disco I was not at,  she asked if I knew Aidy Clark because he claimed he didn’t know me when he tried to get her number. When I asked him about it he denied all knowledge about meeting her, with a wry smile on his face and twinkle in his eye we both just laughed. As the years progressed we saw less of each other but we always started where we left off whether it was discussing his much loved children or whether he should get rid of that Harley and buy a proper motorbike. I met up with him in the Commercial when he and Angela got together and saw him on a number of occasions over the next few years usually in one of the pubs of Easingwold. The last time we met up was in the New Inn down Long Street about five or six years ago, I just called in for pint whilst waiting for Chinese takeway, needless to say the takeaway was cold when I got home. Aidy was on top form and very happy with everything in his life, he was poking fun at half the public bar but no one seemed to mind. As I left I thought Aidy was in good spirits and that’s how I will remember him full of fun with a twinkle in his eye and a real zest for life. Aidy Clark was my friend but he was also a friend to so many.Rupert Smith, Editor 


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