Following is the obituary for NICHOLAS RICHARD CLARKE, submitted by his family.

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Nicholas Richard Clarke, 85, passed away on Feb. 20, 2025, following complications from a stroke and prolonged struggles with pulmonary fibrosis and the emotional and spiritual burdens of widowhood.

Nicholas was born in Bournemouth, England, 1939, the second of four children, and joined the British merchant navy at age 15. 

Following this service, he held a variety of jobs before moving to New York City, marrying his belated wife Mary in 1972, and starting an independent publishing company called The Bold Strummer Ltd., through which he helped to nourish people’s love of guitar music and culture.

In 1980, Nicholas and Mary moved to Westport, where they became active members of Christ & Holy Trinity Church and started a family. Nicholas later became an active and valued member of the Sunrise Rotary Club, to which he belonged for more than 30 years.

As a person, Nicholas embraced silliness, mirth and levity, although he simultaneously held strong senses of pride and dignity — at times, to other people’s frustration. 

Nicholas also held an immense respect for multicultural understanding, tolerance and compassion. He contended that a gentleman is someone in whose presence everyone feels comfortable. Nicholas inspired these values in his children, friends and acquaintances. 

Nicholas loved his wife Mary immensely and missed her terribly following her death from cancer in 2011. He also loved Westport, in large part because living there was a significant part of his and Mary’s dually envisioned future, and could not will himself to move away from the area, even at the loss of opportunities to live and be near his children and grandchild.

Nicholas is survived by his son, Rev. James Clarke, of Pittsburgh; his daughter-in-law, Kristen; their daughter, Cordelia, and by his daughters, Angela and Jennifer, who live in Florida. 

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. May 10 at Christ & Holy Trinity Church, 75 Church Lane. Attendees are asked to please wear bright, colorful clothes (instead of the dreary, dark clothes traditionally associated with mourning) out of respect for Nicholas’s flair for eccentricity; per his family’s understanding of his wishes, his memorial service should resemble an explosion of parrot feathers.

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Westport Journal publishes obituaries of people who lived in Westport or have life connections to the community. To submit an obituary, send the notice and a high-resolution photo to press@westportjournal.com. There is no charge.