William "Bill" Howard Sinclair

William Sinclair was born in 1934. He went on to be with his Lord and Savior, Saturday, June 4, 2016. He was 82 years old. Bill was a resident of Sacramento, California. He will be deeply missed by his wife of almost 30 years, Sandra Fernandez Sinclair; his children Marc (Beverly), and Delynn; as well as his children he was gifted with at the time he married Sandra - Benjamin (Debbie), Christopher (Tina), Matthew (Beth), Vanessa (Louie) Handugan, and Frank (Sally). He has 14 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. He was the beloved brother of Valerie Anne (Jerry) Wilson, Larry Sinclair, and Arthur Sinclair. He was predeceased by his parents, Norman Sinclair and Helen Voss Sinclair, and his daughter, Laurie Ann.

Bill graduated from Tamalpais High School in 1952. While in High School, Bill became an Eagle Scout; lettered in track, baseball, and basketball. Bill was elected president of his senior class. He subsequently graduated from College of Marin, and attended U.C. Berkley for a short time.

An event that happened, when he was 13 years old, became a favorite story throughout the years. Bill became a local celebrity among his friends, when he was playing baseball at Lansdale Elementary School. Picture the school building at one end of the property and the athletic field at the opposite end. Bill hit a baseball from home plate TO and THROUGH a classroom window. It was a very long distance and much envied by his schoolmates. He confessed to breaking the window and paid for replacing the window with his paper route earnings. The incident made a lasting impression on Bill, teaching responsibility for actions, even if it costs.

Throughout his life, from the time he was a paperboy to his mid-70s, Bill held a job. As a boy, in addition to a paper route, he mucked out horse stables, set pins at the local bowling alley,and was a summertime lifeguard. Although his Mother paid for his school uniform, he bought most of his other clothes from the money earned from these part-time jobs. He bought his first horse when he was 14 and paid for its keep by cleaning up at Sleepy Hollow Stables after school. Before he had a license to drive it, he bought and paid cash for his first car. After Tamalpais High School, with the Korean War raging, Bill joined the Marines (and lost friends in that war), was later honorably discharged and went to college on the G.I. bill. He worked for 2 to 3 years as an entry level engineer for the State of California, Division of Highways, but he did not take to being cooped up, sitting indoors at a desk, and especially did not like working within a bureaucracy. He borrowed some money from his mother and Sinclair Construction was formed. Bill spent much of his adult life making it successful, often working long hours, sometimes 7 days a week. In spite of the capriciousness of the construction business, Bill made a decent living from construction. Some years, Bill made a lot of money. Other years, he made just enough money to pay the bills. In his later years, Bill may have felt a little embarrassed that he did not make more money than he did in his earlier years, but to those of us who loved him, Bill's income really did not matter. We loved him!

Bill was faithful at keeping a close relationship with his mother and god-mother, Aunt Hazel. Bill often drove to southern California to visit his sister Anne. He loved cars, he loved to drive, and would drive long distances, even into his 80s. Bill was fiercely independent and always, ALWAYS, his own person. He rarely wanted advice. Even in his early years, he would barely take directions. Bill would make up his mind about people, events, and how he should live his life, despite what others thought.

Bill was the founding President of the Safari Club International - Sacramento. Throughout the 70's and early 80's, Bill hunted in South Africa, North America, and South America. From his hunting expeditions, Bill collected over 60 mounted trophies. Bill is the life time member (#198 of now over 1200) of the "Grand Slam" club, which is earned by collecting the 4 North American mountain sheep.

In addition to his construction business, Bill also served the Sacramento County Sheriff Department as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for almost 28 years. Bill considered this his "fun" job. It started when Bill was requested to join the Sheriff's Mounted Horse Patrol, to work at the California State Fair, and along the American River bike trails. Some of his other assignments were:
- Head of security for the annual March of Dimes walk
- Security participation for the annual Peace Officer Memorial Motorcycle run
- Patrol
- Assigned to maintenance of the South Patrol facility, which included the inmate carwash program.

The following passage was contributed by his sister, Anne:
"Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. Whatever we were to each other, we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the same easy way you always have. Play, smile, think of me, pray for me. Life means all that it ever meant. There is absolute unbroken continuity. Why should I be out of your mind because I am out of your sight. I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner. All is well."