Alexander Craig Sinclair

Alexander Craig Sinclair, 55, of Vancouver BC, passed away peacefully after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. After Craig’s initial diagnosis he reached out to all his friends, past and present, and was open about his prognosis and shared his thoughts and dreams. Craig’s bravery, optimism and perseverance was an inspiration to all who knew him; he loved deeply and was loved by many in return.

Craig graduated high school at Trinity College School where he lettered in squash and tennis; he received his bachelor’s degree (BA) at Carlton University and his master’s degree in education (M.Ed.) at the University of Arizona, after which Craig became a special education teacher where he touched and improved many young lives, first in Tucson, AZ and subsequently in Vancouver, BC. Craig always brought out the best in his students; in return, he was admired and respected by them not just as an educator, but as a role model and a friend.

Craig had an eclectic passion for music, collecting thousands of recordings across multiple genres which he randomly played for friends and family; you just never knew what was coming next. Craig was always open to new experiences and cultures and was a master of ‘micro-connections’; he had a genuine love of people, sharing stores & laughs, and finding the common thread that bonds us all.

Craig’s real passion and delight was his family; his kids brought him his most joyous times - he loved them infinitely and was never happier than when he was helping with homework, getting excited over soccer, or just relaxing at the family lakefront property in Bellingham, WA, or at his legacy cabin on Cedar Lake in Algonquin Park, ON. Craig was the family historian, he traced his roots back many generations, he loved to talk of his great-great-great relatives as if they were still alive, and he was interested in passing this passion on to his children.

Craig was predeceased by his parents, Ann Catherine, and Murray Malcolm, and is survived by his loving and supporting wife, Nydia, of 21 years, by his two children, Teagan (13) and Camille (11), by his siblings: Murray (Cara), Scott, Christopher (Emily), and Candice (Milorad); by his best friend of 50 years - Jeremy Hitzig; by his loving family in Tucson; and by his father’s wife - Mary.

Special thanks to David Castaneto, Craig’s friend, and caregiver during his last year.

Craig lived his life much like the Randy Travis song he so loved - Three Wooden Crosses: It’s not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it’s what you leave behind you when you go…”

Craig’s infectious smile and laugh will be missed but never forgotten.

A memorial service will be held at the Arbutus Club in Vancouver, BC on May 14 from 4:00 until 7:00. Subsequently, on a date yet to be determined, Craig will be laid to rest in a private burial at the family plot in Dwight, ON, near the cottage where he grew up.