It is with profound sadness that we memorialize the passing of our beloved father, Tubal Augustus Clarke, who peacefully passed away on April 5, at the age of 86. 

 

Tubal was born on October 9, 1938, in Salt Spring, St. James, Jamaica, W.I., to Sylvester Clarke and Eulalie Anderson (Reid).  Like many other Clarke-Irving men, Tubal not only learned the construction trade, specifically masonry, from his beloved paternal uncle, Simeon “Simmy” Clarke, but he also learned about the Bible and the tenets of the Seventh-Day Adventist faith.

 

Tubal earned a living as a carpenter, an auto mechanic, a taxi driver, and an ambulance driver at the Bustamante Hospital for Children.  But his most enduring employment was as a minibus owner operator, which combined his love of automobiles, travel, music and people. Despite several setbacks caused by vandalism and bureaucratic challenges in the industry at the time, Tubal thrived and earned the respect of commuters and fellow minibus operators alike.  On the road, he was affectionately known as “Cowboy” due to the ubiquitous white cowboy hat that he sported, and as “Mr. Rose” or “Roses” from the “Rose (of Sharon) Tours” written on his bus and its sacred music soundtrack. This religiosity and his reputation for scrupulous honesty enabled Tubal to operate in some of the most violent areas in Kingston, particularly during the turbulent 1970s.  By the time he left Jamaica, Tubal had moved up to the high-end of the popular Coaster minibus series, had won sought-after transportation contracts with the Jamaica Union of Travelers Association (JUTA), and had become a role model for how to succeed in the transportation business for several young Clarke-Irving men.

 

Tubal was also a man of faith.  He played an active part in the Personal Ministries department of the North Street and Braeton Seventh-Day Adventist Churches in Jamaica, where he held various offices as Sabbath School Teacher, Deacon and Elder, and enthusiastically deployed his minibuses in service of the church.  He would make multiple trips to transport members and visitors to Sabbath services and Wednesday night prayer meetings, to East Jamaica Conference camping and annual church outings, and to countless evangelical “big tent” revivals and crusades. Most memorable to his children was his participation in a crusade held at the National Heroes Circle venue in Jamaica, where he won prizes night after night for bringing the most visitors. And any ride on Tubal’s bus included entertainment from an amazing variety of music (initially on 8-track tapes), and he regularly served as a tour guide, spouting historical trivia about the beautiful landmarks and attractions of his beloved island.  When he was not transporting people about the island, Tubal was conducting Branch Sabbath Schools, visiting the sick and shut-ins in hospitals and hospices, and doing other missionary work. 

 

In 1986, Tubal emigrated to the United States to join his four siblings who were already there and to give his children a better life. He continued to work in the transportation business, driving for various coach lines, hotels and school bus companies in New York.  In 2008, he retired to Central Florida, where he lived with his wife, Mona, and continued to explore the country on wheels and use his multi-passenger vehicles in service of his church. 

 

On Saturday, April 5, our beloved husband, father, uncle, cousin, mentor and friend, Tubal, slipped away from his mortal coil to touch the face of God, surrounded by his family and loved ones. He is survived by his loving wife, Mona; his siblings Anita Clarke (Thompson), Lenford Clarke, and Renville McLeod; his children, Leighton Clarke, Sheryl Clarke, Debbie-Ann Clarke (Johnson), Paul Clarke, Dawn Clarke (Doccuvi), Darnelle Felix and Victor Felix; and by eleven grandchildren.

 

Tubal’s children agree that his lessons in life have been: to respect your elders, they have their story; “fix your face” regardless of the situation, sourness turns everyone off, including employers; hard work pays, so never give up even when the outlook seems bleak; don’t spend it all, save for shelter on a rainy day; treat everyone with respect, even the “small” man, for he could one day be king; stop idling and do something useful or he’ll give you something to do; seek excellence in all undertakings, in short go big or go home.  Above all, Tubal showed us the importance of living “good” with others and making ourselves humble before God and man.  It is fitting that his final worry before dying was whether he would make it to church the next day to attend a reunion with his beloved Portmore-Braeton church family from Jamaica.

 

A celebration of Tubal’s life will be held at the Guilgal French Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 5668 N. Pine Hills Rd., Orlando, Florida, 32810, on Friday, April 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., followed by his interment at the Highland Memory Gardens, 3329 E. Semoran Blvd., Apopka, Florida, 32703, at 1:00 p.m. 

 

Tubal was our hero and role model and we are adrift without him. But he has left us his stellar example to hold fast and follow until we can “grab a chair” and ride with him again throughout eternity.  His spirit of humility and joie de vivre have informed our zest for life, travel and foreign cultures, and our love of God and family.  We will never forget him. |