The best communities are those made up of individuals who selflessly devote their time to serving others.
The Village of Irvington and its surrounding River Towns have certainly benefited over the last six decades from the efforts of Joe Clarke in several capacities.
Clarke, 68, served 21 years as an Irvington police officer, rising to the rank of sergeant.
For the last 38 years, he has owned and operated Greenfield Plumbing & Heating, based in Sleepy Hollow, which has established a solid reputation.
Surpassing both of those impressive accomplishments is his 50-year volunteer service to the Irvington Fire Department, for which Clarke was recently honored.
“You have to enjoy what you’re doing,” Clarke said. “It’s hard to believe that much time went away. One day you turn around and it’s been 50 years.”
Clarke’s early years were anything but settled. At four years old, his parents split up and he was placed in a foster home.
He was educated in Irvington schools and aspired to be a career firefighter, inspired, in part, by his foster dad, James Annicharico, a DPW foreman in the village who also served as fire chief during his more than 30 years with the department. He died in 2008 at the age of 60.
“I got lucky,” Clarke said of his foster parents.
When Clarke graduated high school there weren’t many paid firefighter positions in Westchester County, so he pivoted, serving Irvington as a volunteer and pursuing a career as a police officer.
“I enjoyed it. It was a good career,” said Clarke, who was also the Police Department’s accreditation officer. “I enjoy helping people, always have. I enjoy giving back to my community that was good to me.”
It was during his time patrolling the streets of Irvington that Clarke got into the oil business. He started working for John Greenfield in 1981 and then took over the business when Greenfield retired in 1988.
With his partner Joey Good since 2003, Greenfield Plumbing & Heating has grown to have 18 employees.
“Thank God we’re busy. We have a good reputation. People trust us. We do what’s right for the customer,” Clarke said. “It’s important that you do it right.”
On Oct. 3, Clarke was honored at a special ceremony at the Irvington Fire Department, where he received proclamations and plaques from village, county, and state officials.
On Oct. 22, spearheaded by County Legislator David Imamura, the day was declared “Joe Clarke Day” in Westchester and the declaration was displayed throughout the day on a large sign outside the Westchester County Center in White Plains.
Clarke said he has responded to many house fires but never had to enter a home to save someone’s life.
“Most of the time people are out of the house, thank God,” he said. “It’s rare that people are trapped.”
Like most municipal fire departments, Irvington has significantly fewer active volunteers than when Clarke first got involved, which he currently estimated at about 40.
“There’s a lot to it. You have to stay up on your training. We train on a regular basis,” Clarke explained. “People have more responsibilities now. A lot of people are working two jobs. It’s difficult for people to make the commitment.”
One person who has followed in Clarke’s footsteps is his son, Joseph Jr., 43, who has been a firefighter for the last 26 years.
A proud grandfather of one, Clarke, who sits on the Fire Department’s Board of Trustees, has no plans to retire from his business or from serving as a firefighter.
“I’ll try to stay active as long as my health allows me,” he said. “I don’t get up for the 3 a.m. automatic alarms anymore.”
