Obituary of Donald B. Clerkin

OBITUARIES Donald B. Clerkin, 79, beloved husband, father and grandfather, World War II veteran, sportswriter, author, and coach, passed away peacefully with his loving family by his side on February 23, 2007 at New Britain General Hospital after a brief illness. Don, a proud life-long resident of New Britain, was born on September 7, 1927, the son of the late Eugene and Catherine (Lynch) Clerkin. He was a graduate of St. Mary School, Nathan Hale Junior High, New Britain High School and the University of Bridgeport, where he obtained a BS degree in Journalism. His wife of 46 years, Ann Barnes Clerkin, survives him. They were married on October 29, 1960 at St. Mary�s Church in Windsor Locks, CT. He will be forever missed by his children and grandchildren, Ellen Calitri and her husband Michael of Gilman and their children, Steven and Diane; his son Joe, and his wife, Leslie, and their daughter, Julia of Bethany; his daughter, Nancy Rhines and her husband, Glenn and their children, Eric and Nina, of New Providence, NJ; his son, Jim and his wife Leona, and their daughter Lindsey, of Wethersfield. He is also survived by his sister, Catherine Crable of Clearwater, Florida, and his sister- and brother- in-law, Mary and Robert Sheeran, of West Hartford, as well as three nephews, Sean Sheeran, Bill Crable and Jim Crable, and a niece, Marianne Langston. Donald�s life revolved around three things: his family, sports and his community. He took much pride in the athletic accomplishments of his children and had the extreme pleasure of seeing his grandson, Steven, wearing the red and white of the Norwich Free Academy football Wildcats this past fall just before falling ill. Don enlisted and served in the US Navy during World War II and was a longtime member of the Sampson World War II U.S. Navy Veterans Association. Don�s dream was to be a sportswriter and he is one of the fortunate people in life to achieve his dream, working for the former Hartford Times as a sportswriter from 1955- 1965. He covered events that ranged from high school to the professional level and reported on major football bowl games, National Football League Championships, World Series and PGA events. He left the Times to accept the newly-established position of Sports Information Director at Central Connecticut State University in 1965 and retired from the University in 1988. His children have fond recollections of growing up on the bleachers of Kaiser Hall and Arute Field. In New Britain, Don had a long and distinguished career in public service. He had been a longtime member of the New Britain Board of Education (1962- 1969) and the New Britain Recreation Commission (1964- 1965). He was elected City Treasurer to 8 terms and served from 1971- 1987. Don was selected as Democratic Town Comittee Chairman and served from 1975 - 1976. He was viewed as a formidable opponent and an invaluable ally! With such a long career in sports, Don held many professional memberships. He was most proud of his membership in the U.S. Football Writers Association of America (1956 to the present). He was the President of the Connecticut Sportswriters Alliance in 1962 and 1963. Don had a long history of service to his church community. He is a long-time communicant of St. Francis of Assisi Church . He served on the Parish council from 1972 to 1978 and as Co-Chairperson of the St. Francis of Assisi Middle School Development Fund Committee from 1985 to 1994. Don was especially proud of the years he spent in service to the youth of New Britain in the Walicki Baseball League. He served as President as well as a coach of that baseball league from 1973 to 1980 and spoke so fondly of the games and players he guided through those years. He then "moved up� and coached the St. Francis Baseball team in the Mangan league from 1980 to 1990. He was proud to have won several championships in both leagues over the years. Don was the recipient of several honors that meant the world to him. He received the Connecticut Sportswriters Alliance Arthur B. McGinley Award for Service to Profession and Community in 1988 and he was inducted into the New Britain Sports of Fame in 1990. He also received the Ancient Order of Hibernians Distinguished Service Award in 1997. After retiring, Don fulfilled another long-held dream of his, to write a collection of sports books. He authored a total of 6 books, all based on personal recollections, observations and humorous anecdotes that he himself had collected over his years of covering sporting events. Don�s personal knowledge of sports trivia and statistics was unrivaled! Most recently, Don�s passion had been his tireless work on behalf of the New Britain Sports Hall of Fame.The Annual Induction Banquet in March was the "place to be� in the area that night. Don was there, clipboard in hand, orchestrating the night from a quiet corner. He took such enormous pleasure in honoring people for their successes, whether they occurred last year or 50 years ago. Don was very proud of New Britain�s sports history. Don most enjoyed his beloved New York Yankees, NBHS Golden Hurricane football, having Wednesday lunches with his Pioneers, summer vacations at Black Point with his family, Providence College basketball, the cat, Muffin, and reading his several daily newspapers. Funeral services will be held Monday 10:30 A.M. from the Farrell Funeral Home 110 Franklin Sq. New Britain with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:30 A.M. at St. Francis of Assisi Church in New Britain. Burial will follow in St. Mary Cemetery, New Britain. Visitation will be Sunday from 3:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home.