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Overcast Former Woodmere F. D. Chief Clarence A. Ike, 84
For those that knew Clarence A. Ike, he was a strong and caring individual that you could always find at the Woodmere firehouse. The longtime Woodmere resident and former Woodmere Fire Department Chief died on Nov. 15 in Mineola from pancreatic cancer. He was 84.
Born on Sept. 14, 1936 to Clarence and Mary, Ike was raised in Woodmere and graduated from then Woodmere High School in 1953. He served in the Navy for two years aboard the USS Lake Champlain.
After serving in the Navy, Ike married Marilyn Olsen on April 25, 1959 and they would go on to raise their three children in Woodmere and Valley Stream. Ike worked and volunteered with the Woodmere and Garden City fire departments. He worked in the Garden City department for 31 years until his retirement in 1995. His time with the Woodmere department spanned 66 years and included a period of serving as department chief.
Ike’s daughter Elizabeth O’Malley said her father was a robust, compassionate person who was very much at home in a firehouse. “He was a very strong and caring person who had the kindest heart,” she said. “The firehouse was the place he loved to be. Between Garden City and Woodmere, that was his life.”
Outside of being a firefighter, Elizabeth said her father loved to hunt for duck and deer, as he would go on yearly trips upstate with friends. “He made a lot of friends through all those activities,” she said. Elizabeth added that her father enjoyed gardening and landscaping.
For Elizabeth’s husband Tim O’Malley, one thing that stood out about his father-in-law was his dedication to the things he did. “When he made a commitment to something, he was all in on it,” O’Malley said. “The longevity of things that he would commit to such as his marriage and service to the fire department is admirable.”
O’Malley added that he got along with Ike from the moment he met him in 1999. “Our relationship was more like father to son as there was no line between in law and his own children,” he said. “From a son-in-law’s point of view, I couldn’t have gotten any luckier than I did. For me, he was a father figure, a friend, a mentor and a role model all wrapped into one.”
Predeceased by his sister Kay and son Gregory, Ike is survived by his wife of 61 years Marilyn, two daughters: Elizabeth and her husband Tim, Susan, two grandchildren Sean and Emily.
A funeral service was held for Ike at the Perry Funeral Home in Lynbrook on Nov. 20. A firematic service was also held on Nov. 19, as neighboring fire departments from Hewlett, Rockville Centre, Valley Stream and Lakeview departments said goodbye to Ike. He is interred at the Trinity Churchyard Cemetery in Hewlett.
