Goodbye Ross Sinclair 1944-2010

Sorry for the lack of posts these last few days. Sad to report my step-father of 33 years has died after a short fight with cancer at his home in Victoria. He was 66. I came over with my brother yesterday to be with my sister and Mom. All are in good spirits, remembering how he’d lived well and relieved he’s free of pain. Together, we wrote his obituary this morning:

Ross Sinclair, surrounded by loving family, passed away peacefully in the early morning of February 26th. Born in Vancouver in 1944, he graduated from UBC (Economics) before moving to Victoria, where he is survived by his wife Laura, brother Alex, sister Kathy, children Kate (Robert Duncan), Alex and Andrew (Michelle Sproule), and grandchildren Alexander, James and Isabelle. Ross was instrumental in the preservation and restoration of several heritage buildings in the city – among them Market Square and his own MacClure heritage home – but he was most proud of his final building project, the Cedars treatment facility at Cobble Hill. He will be remembered most of all for his phenomenal cooking, his love of golf and the open water, his ability to put others at ease with great humility and an always available ear, and the wicked sense of humour that helped to steer him and countless others through many trials.

Ross was a real character, as genuine as could be. True to form, his last words were “Fuck off”, muttered to the nurse who stuck him with his last IV. He will be missed.