Obituary of Virginia Sinclair

Virginia Sinclair (nee Engle), 71, died at home in Calabasas surrounded by her children, her daughter-in-law, and a caregiver. Virginia was born in Durango, Colorado and during her childhood, she lived in many different cities in Colorado, California, and Arizona. In 1957, she married Ralph McLean Sinclair in Maricopa County, Arizona, and they lived in Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Tennessee, Oregon, Texas, Florida, and California. Virginia is survived by her three children: Rodney and wife Patricia Sinclair of Thousand Oaks, Ivan Sinclair of Van Nuys, and Kirsten Sinclair Rosselot of Calabasas. Virginia was the proud grandmother of four grandchildren. She is also survived by three sisters and a brother: Rosalie Maggard and her husband Jim of Hopewell, Virginia; Jeanette Voorhis and her husband Jim of Fallbrook, California; Juanita Giusti of Cottonwood, Arizona; and Bob Engle and his wife Shari of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. She was preceded in death by her husband Ralph, her parents Lila (Woodall) and James Curtis, and her brother James Curtis, Jr. Virginia earned two-year degrees at San Juan College in Farmington, New Mexico and at Moorpark College in Moorpark, California. She became a professional artist after the first of her grandchildren was born and made many trips to locations such as the Four Corners area, the eastern Sierra region, and France to draw and paint. Virginia was fun and witty besides being creative. She and Ralph owned airplanes for much of their lives and enjoyed going to fly-ins. She held a private pilot license for many years. She was a nature lover and took great pleasure in the beauty of sunsets, wildflowers, storms, and landscapes. She particularly loved being in the mountains. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to "Research" at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (www.ric.org/donate-online). Services will be held at Emerson Unitarian Universalist Church in Canoga Park, where Virginia was a member.