It’s been over a month, and I still struggle to find the proper way to write about my friend, mentor, and business partner Dave Sinclair. He died on Friday, September 25th, 2009. I learned more about life from this man than most
- Mr. Sinclair was always “teaching” – this time to his son David
will ever know. He gave me the opportunity to become someone, but warned I should never forget my roots. He never did, that’s for sure. I learned how to work, how to manage, how to treat people, how to appreciate people, how to pray, how to love, how to ride a horse, and of course, how to use a paper plate as something to write a note on.
A newspaper columnist interviewed me the day after his passing, and asked how I would best describe him. My answer was immediate, “He was John Wayne and Ronald Reagan all in one”. The columnist said “Wow, had you ever met John Wayne or Ronald Reagan?” and I said “Yes I had, and his name was Dave Sinclair”.
Lots of folks looked at this man like he was bigger than life, and although he was, he never thought he was. He was bigger than life to me, I would not be here without him. People would ask him at various events “do you know Mike Kehoe?” and Mr. Sinclair would say “yes I do, I taught him everything he knows… which is only half of what I know”. That response is typical of the classic things he was made of.
The Sinclair family has done many things for me, including teaching me how to sell Fords, introducing me to Claudia, and always keeping a watchful eye on my Mother. I miss him every day, and I know his family and wife (I call her “Mrs. Big”) do as well. He was referred to as Dad, or “paup” by his kids and grandkids, and most who knew him and worked for him just called him Dave, but for some reason, I always called him Mr. Sinclair, and he will always be that to me.