Honorable Note:
It is with great sadness that we notify you of the passing of Clare F. Rose founder of Clare Rose Inc. Beverage Distributor and a Generous Patchogue Community Supporter.

Clare Rose died peacefully at home on July 24, 2010 at the age of 98.

Clare Fredric Rose was born in Patchogue, New York December 11, 1911. In 1933 he married Milly Palermo and raised 2 sons Mark and Fredric in the house he built on weekends in Blue Point. Clare attended Patchogue schools until the 10th grade when he "took a short requested break" for a disagreement with a teacher over his musical abilities. During his time away from school he worked at the Bailey Lumber Mills. At the mill he was offered a full-time job making more money than his music teacher, so when it came time to return to school Clare chose to keep working. Work was always what he loved best and after a few years at the Mill, he rose to the position of clerk. He soon moved on to the new bottling plant opening in Patchogue, being among the first to bottle Pepsi on Long Island. It was here that he learned his greatest skill would be in sales and he left Pepsi in 1936 to open his own soda business. With a $300 loan from his wife Milly, he founded C.Rose Beverage Co. selling Mission Soda. In 1948 Anheuser-Busch asked him to begin selling their Budweiser brand in the eastern portion of Suffolk County. It was not until 1965 when his son Mark was graduating college that he was given the opportunity by Anheuser-Busch to handle the rest of Suffolk County from Patchogue west. It was also at this time that he "officially" retired from the office operations @ Clare Rose Inc. to follow his true passion which was working in the warehouse. A short time later his son Ric returned from the army to begin his career in the family business and Clare happily left the boys alone. He enjoyed the physical aspect of his business and it was his feeling that with his sons in the office he could go play with the fork lifts and trucks. In 1991 when Mark & Ric told him they were buying the Nassau County territory from Anheuser-Busch he was so excited he jumped right in to help. They got a phone call a few hours later that Clare had trailered a backhoe to the Nassau warehouses and was knocking down walls with it. The people there wanted to know what to do…his sons said " go tell him to stop we don't even own the place yet ". The other guy said "no way". So the walls came down and when his boys asked him later what he thought he was doing Clare said " getting a head start on cleaning the place up for you! "

What Clare had begun with his one truck, and Milly in the office, he has lived long enough to proudly see Mark & Ric take into the 21st century as one of the largest privately owned companies on Long Island. Now the 3rd generation leads the way continuing the family business with, A-B Imbev, Heineken, Blue Point, Monster, over 100 trucks, close to 300 employees and a move to their new 265,000 sqft facility planned for this fall. Clare Rose had a truck and a dream which he shared over the past 73 years with hundreds of others known affectionately to him as the Clare Rose Family. Clare never lost sight of what allowed him to achieve his success believing his best assets were his employees and their families. Hard work, kindness, camaraderie, loyalty, trust and a smile were his signature. Clare shared his zest for life with us all. Over the years he has shared memories of growing up with an Indian halfbreed Grandmother, lifeguarding at Cherry Grove in the late 1920's, serving his country during WW II, being an original Forty Thieve fireman, traveling the world on some of the first commercial prop-jet flights, boating to Fire Island, cooking for family & friends and dancing whenever the music played. His grandchildren and great grandchildren have great memories of Pop Pop picking them up in his convertible sports car to go for pancakes at the firehouse or to Flo's for ice cream, taking even the youngest still in diapers.

Aside from his family and his business, Clare was most proud of the fact that he attended Harvard Extention receiving a certificate in business, the Honorary Doctorate of Law bestowed upon him from St Josephs College and the part he played in building the Clare Rose Play House. He was a member of Patchogue Fire Dept., Patchogue Chamber of Commerce, Past President of Lions Club, and a life long resident of Davis Park Fire Island.

Clare always enjoyed life and set an example for his family to follow, his employees to admire and all those he touched to remember. His philanthropy was endless and he was always available to physically pitch in to help with too numerous of causes to list. Clare lent his hand, his name, but most assuredly his heart to all that he did. He has touched the lives of so many with his charitable nature, but he would want to be remembered most as the guy who just sold beer.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn Ryan Fechter Rose, his sons Mark & Ric, daughters-in-law Joy & Sally, grandchildren and great grandchildren: Bridget & Timothy Moran (Kate, Kelly), Stacey & Thomas Dugan (Ryan, Connor, Maggie), Lisa Rose (Megan Becker), Nicole & Michael Dougherty (Gillian, Brendan, Patrick), J.J. Rose, Christopher Rose & Sharon Fee Danielle, Kennedy, Cameron, Emily, Haley, Kayla), Sean & Michelle Rose (Isabella, George, Jamison), Bay Rose, Mark Rose II & Britton Rose. He was predeceased in1994 by his wife of 64 years, Milly Rose.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to Brookhaven Memorial Hospital, Patchogue, NY or Hope House Ministries of Port Jefferson, N.Y. Services will be at the Ruland Funeral Home, 500 North Ocean Ave., Patchogue, N.Y., Monday 7-9 ,Tuesday 2-4 and 7-9, Service 10 a.m. Wednesday @ his beloved warehouse.