Bernard Clarke Sr.

It is with heavy hearts that the family shares the news of the death of 
Bernie Clarke Sr., who passed away peacefully on October 15, 2026, following a year-long struggle with various health challenges. He was the loving husband of Diane for over 62 years and the father of Bernie, Jr. (Julie), Matthew, Sean (Melissa) and the proud grandfather of Tyler, Nicholas (Mattie), Declan, and Everly. Bernie said that “my life really began when I met Diane” and that family is “my greatest accomplishment, Diane, and my sons, their wives and grandchildren.”

Bernie was born in 1942, and raised in a two flat (“double decker”) in the then working class neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts by his parents, Brian and Julia. He graduated from North Cambridge Catholic High School in 1961. His parents were both immigrants from Ireland and came to the United States like many others in the hopes of a better life. Bernie was very proud of his Irish heritage and a highlight of his retirement years was returning to the home where his father had been born in County Armagh and to his mother’s home in County Offaly. At both locations he met many of his Irish cousins which was especially meaningful for him having grown up as an only child.

Bernie learned the value of hard work early. While still in high school, he took on demanding jobs, hauling sides of beef and transporting the deceased for a local funeral home. Those experiences shaped his character and gave him a determination that carried through every chapter of his life.

He began his career in 1961 at United Shoe Machinery. While working there, he took night classes in finance and business at both Northeastern University and Bentley College. In 1963 he joined Black and Webster as an inside salesperson and later moved into outside sales. He earned his first sales management role at Norton Fluid Power, which later became Knox Norton.

In 1981 he made a bold move, moving his family to the Midwest, and accepting the position of Sales Manager at TRW Ross Gear, a global manufacturer of hydraulic components. He was hired to build a distributor program and was eventually responsible for all global hydraulic sales through distribution.

Building on the night classes he began early in his career, he returned to school in the early 1980s, already well established in his field, and earned his MBA from Indiana Northern University in 1984. It was a testament to his conviction that there is always more to learn and more to give.

In 1987 he became President of Walter Norris, a Chicago fluid power distributor that was part of Sun Distributors. He led a successful turnaround of what had been a significantly underperforming business and was named “President of the Year” within the Sun Distributors group. He then accepted a new challenge as Director of Sales at Miller Fluid Power, a fluid power manufacturer in the Chicago area. In 1992, wanting to return to fluid power distribution, he joined Taylor Newcomb Industries as Director of Sales.

In 1998, in his mid fifties and ready to work for himself, he founded Clarke and Associates, a manufacturers’ representative firm focused on mobile hydraulic components and serving the Midwest. Always a risk taker who was willing to bet on himself, he took an even greater step in 2000 when he purchased Indiana Fluid Power, a Parker Hannifin distributor based in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and merged it with Clarke and Associates. By then Parker had acquired both Miller Fluid Power and Ross Gear, and he brought that deep product knowledge, his vision for a market far larger than northeast Indiana, and his extensive mobile hydraulics experience to the company.

Under his leadership, Indiana Fluid Power grew well beyond its original capabilities and footprint. Bernie lived out the words of Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others.” His career of 51 years was marked by integrity, perseverance, and a commitment to the people he served, and it laid a foundation that continues to inspire and inform the companies he built.

Bernie retired in 2012 and pursued various volunteer activities including for Child Advocates of Indianapolis and delivered meals and friendship weekly for Meals on Wheels. He also enjoyed more time to pursue his lifelong passion for golf and his newfound passion for bocce, and together he and Diane had the opportunity to travel more extensively and spend many happy winters with their friends at their home in Davenport, Florida. Summer also was a special time for him with the entire family gathered annually at his beloved Cape Cod.

He and Diane moved to the Britton Falls neighborhood in Fishers in 2014, where he served on the Building and Amenities Committee, Arts Council, and together they formed many deep and lasting friendships throughout the neighborhood.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. followed by a Memorial Mass at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Spirit of Geist Church, 10350 Glaser Way, Fishers, IN. Internment private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Bernie’s name may be made to Child Advocates of Indianapolis (childadvocates.net)

Arrangements handled through Randall & Roberts Funeral Homes.