John F. Clark

John F. Clark passed away suddenly on August 11th.   He was the son of the late Daniel Joseph Clark and the late Kathleen Agnes Clark (nee Dempsey).   He is the devoted father of Eoin (Hannah), dear brother of Daniel (Mary Jo), Marie (the late Keith Charters), and Mary (Dennis Schofield), the late Michael Clark, and the late Jerry Clark.  

He will be sadly missed by his nieces and nephews, cousins, in the U.S., Ireland and the United Kingdom.  

John was born January 18, 1956 in North Philadelphia and was raised on Venango Street.  He graduated from Cardinal Dougherty High School and graduated Penn State and American Academy-McAllister Institue of Mortuary Science New York.  He moved to Fishtown where he owned a funeral home for many years and spent over 40 years in the funeral industry.     John had worked as a Forensic Investigator  for the City of Philadelphia Medical Examiners Office, for a time was a guard at Holmesburg Prison.  For the last 20 plus years  John  was associated with  us at our funeral homes. 

John was a man of strong faith, and devoted to his trade.  He was also a devoted friend to many, including Brooke and Marek Miller and family, and Lisa and Charlie Otto and family.  He had a very special relationship with his godfather, Robert Dempsey of New York and his niece Angela Furphy. 

He was an usher at St. Marks Church in Bristol,  and loved to meet for dinner at the Radicchio Café and then take weekly Mass at St. Augustine’s in Philadelphia.  John liked to say it was “supper and psalms”. 

He loved to spend time with his son Eoin going to movies, watching the flyers play, and eating dinner and visiting his son and wife in Cape May, NJ.   He also loved to hang out with Ron Forte and Eoin and they spent many hours exploring restaurants and breweries in both Manayunk, and Cape May.  John was an avid diver and dived for many years throughout the Caribbean.  He taught his son his love of diving and they spent many hours on the water together.  John taught his son an appreciation of the oceans, marine life and conservation.    

John was a true Philly guy who was proud of his roots and loved all things about his city including the Mummers, Tony Lukes, the Walnut Street Theater and many of the museums.  John loved the arts.  It should be known that John was a Mason and a Shriner as well as belonging to the Ancient Order of Hibernians.   He also loved Bristol and was dedicated to the church and his family and friends.  He was caring and loving and tremendously giving never wanting to see anyone or anything go without.  John would give you the shirt off his back.  He would love to challenge his friends and family by playing devil’s advocate occasionally but his heart was always sincere and he always wanted the best for everyone.  He was truly a man of strong faith and one that will be greatly missed by all.  As his friend Dwight shares  :
"John was my brother and he died too young. As my close friend and as a mortician, John had agreed to give me a viking funeral. We joked that it would probably cost him his license, but John didn't care. That was John. A man who went out of his way to help others. Whether it was an odd ball request for a viking funeral or serving God and the Parish - which he did often. John took pride in his work. He understood the impact a viewing had on a family. The last gaze upon a loved one's body was special; and John strove to provide perfection. John's greatest pride was his son, Eoin. John's eyes lit up when speaking of Eoin's accomplishments. He would call, sometimes in the middle of the night, to relive something Eoin had said or done....a father gently expressing to another his pride in a child who was now a fine man. We will miss John. A loving father, a great friend, and a servant of God. " 

Relatives and friends are invited to gather from 9am to 10am, on Tuesday August 17th, 2021, at St. Augustine’s Church, 243 North Lawrence St, Philadelphia, Pa  19106, followed by his Funeral Mass at 10:00  AM  His interment will be private.  In lieu of flowers, the family is respectfully requesting memorial donations to Shriners Hospital for Children at the address below. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of John F. Clark, please visit our floral store.