23.11.2018

Edward ‘Eddie’ Clancy 1956 – 2018

Earlier this week we received the sad news that the owner and chairman of UK based Emerson Crane Hire, Eddie Clancy had died following a heart attack and fall at his home in Spain, he was 62.

A larger than life character, Clancy ‘officially retired’ in 2001, but has remained active in the business, albeit from a distance. The business has been run on a day to day basis by his son managing director Liam.
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Eddie Clancy

Eddie Clancy was born in Stratford London and grew up in Dagenham East London, his father Luke had grown up in tough times in Ireland and moved to London to look for a better life, but things remained tight financially. In a bid to do better Clancy took a motor mechanic apprenticeship, with spells at Ardleigh Green College. His first full time job was working as a mechanic for the Alan Kemp garage in Barking. Kemp would later join Clancy as workshop manager at his budding crane company, today his son Stuart is Emerson’s workshop manager.

Clancy’s next job was working alongside his father as a steel erector/rigger for Interlink at the Shell Haven Oil Refinery in Essex. It was here that he became interested in cranes and lifting work. And managed to save enough to help buy his first crane, which he operated from his home in Dagenham.
This turned in his first venture Emerald Crane hire in 1982 which grew at a rapid rate. As the recession of 1991 began to bite the heavily leveraged business ran into difficulties and went in administration.
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Eddie Clancy in his younger days

After facing a good few challenges Clancy began again with Emerson Crane Hire, which expanded at a steadier pace with son Liam joining the business. Clancy retired in 2001 and moved to Spain with his second wife Barbara where the two had a daughter Lily. He continued to play a very active role in the business, but increasingly at arm’s length.

On Tuesday he was found at his house in Southern Spain with a head injury, having apparently fallen, paramedics failed to revive him, and he passed away. A post mortem later revealed that the cause of death was a heart attack, although it is not known whether this was brought on by the fall, or if the heart attack caused the fall in the first place.

Clancy had something of a reputation, and probably upset more than his fair share of people during his career in the crane rental industry, including some employees. However, with others he was loyal and supportive, and was a true advocate of bringing new people into the industry and was instrumental in the development of the Emerson training centre. He had a reputation for his bad jokes and sense of humour, loved a glass of wine and a curry and lived life to the full, right to the end.

A funeral is being held in Spain tomorrow for close family and friends, with a memorial service planned in the UK within the next couple of weeks or so. Love him or hate him the industry has lost another of its characters.

UPDATE

a UK memorial service will be held this Saturday 1st December at 13:00 at,

The Orsett Hall - Chapel
Prince Charles Avenue
Orsett
Essex
RM16 3HS

Instead of flowers the family are requesting donations via, https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROSomeoneSpecialPage?pageUrl=EddieClancy All donations will be split equally between the Stroke Association and the British Heart Foundation.