Leslie Bruce Sinclair

The world feels less bright today as we say goodbye to Leslie “Les” Bruce Sinclair, whose laughter and welcoming spirit lit up every room. Les passed away peacefully and without pain on September 18, 2025, at 2:03 PM ET, aged 90, in Toronto’s Sunnybrook Hospital—with his daughter Lisa gently holding his hand.

Born on July 24, 1935, in Chatham, Ontario, to parents who immigrated to Canada from Scotland and Barbados, Les lived a remarkable life of kindness and generosity, with an unwavering commitment to helping others. Known for his warm smile, exuberant laugh, and compassionate spirit, he touched countless lives through his friendships, volunteer work, community involvement, and devotion to his immediate and extended family.

Growing up in 1940s Chatham in modest circumstances, Les learned the value of hard work early from his parents. He often told his employment stories with his signature sense of humor. As a newspaper delivery boy, his favourite customer was a projectionist at the Capitol Theatre who let him watch movies for free. The only catch: Les often left so late he’d toss the undelivered papers into the Thames River. In grades 9 and 10, he worked as a stock boy at Woolworths, favouring the candy storage room—though it’s anyone’s guess knowing Les whether some of that candy went missing. By grades 11 and 12, he was dispatching taxis and pumping gas at Star Taxi, five days a week after school until midnight. Working 40 hours a week, subsequently nodding off in class and not completing assignments meant that Les didn’t graduate high school—but he didn’t let that hold him back.

At just 17, Les joined the Canadian Navy in July 1952, serving aboard the aircraft carrier HMCS Magnificent. After five years, he traded water for wings and enlisted in the Air Force, where he spent the next two decades, retiring as a sergeant with 25 years of service. Military life brought him more than discipline—it brought him Arlene Wagner, the love of his life, whom he met at Cornwallis base in Nova Scotia. Together, they raised a crew of “military brats” while crisscrossing Canada: London, Clinton and Centralia, Ontario; Whitehorse, Yukon; Greenwood, Nova Scotia; and finally Kingston, Ontario. After hanging up his uniform, Les worked dispatch for 15 years at Cushman Cartage, the family trucking company owned by his sister Jean and brother-in-law Harry in St. Catharines. He later became a self-employed building superintendent for properties owned by Sun Life of Canada and Visco Holdings, finally retiring in 2001—though sadly it was not time for Les to rest.

Instead, he stepped into the most demanding role of his life: full-time caregiver to his beloved Arlene, who was diagnosed with dementia. With quiet strength and devotion, Les cared for her through every stage of the illness over 12 years, until her passing in 2015—embodying the same loyalty and love that defined their marriage.

Even while caring full-time for Arlene, Les found a new rhythm to life. As her needs grew, he arranged adult day programs for her and built a circle of personal support workers who were like family to the Sinclairs. Never one to sit still, Les was recruited by the United Way Speakers Bureau to share his caregiving story with employees at major firms in Toronto. In true fashion, Les went from dispatching taxis to dispatching inspiration—and in 2013, his face lit up a digital billboard for an advertising campaign on Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway. Not bad for a guy who once tossed newspapers into the Thames.

Les had many joyful years: living with his grandchildren in Toronto; spending cherished time at his cottage in Nova Scotia with his grandchildren; gardening, attending theatre and sporting events, and travelling; watching any and all sporting events (curling, track and field, and the Olympics were among his favourites). He was an early adopter of technology, buying his first Apple computer in 1983. He became a professional-level genealogist, tracing the tangled roots—and sometimes secrets—of the Sinclair, Walton, Wagner, and Chase family trees, and even those of strangers he befriended online.

Les’ life was punctuated with acts of service, from coaching sports leagues during his military days to serving as the longtime treasurer of the Lincoln Gymnastics Club in St. Catharines, and later organizing “SingFest” and line dancing at Reconnect. Naturally, the United Way named him Volunteer of the Year, just one of many accolades he collected with humility. In his final chapter at Donway Place, Les was the unofficial welcoming committee, encouraging newcomers to join activities and teaching friends to play cards. He kept the games going—euchre, crib, bridge, dominoes, puzzles, even adult colouring—bringing people together the way he always had, with laughter and a knack for making everyone feel at home.

In the final three years of his life, Les embodied resilience and joie de vivre. After a stroke, he worked hard to regain his strength and live independently at Donway Place, where he made fast friends, young and old alike, and never missed a chance to share a laugh or a card game. He cherished visits with friends and family, especially his sister and beloved nieces and nephews, and faced a cancer diagnosis head-on with cutting-edge treatments and characteristic grit. He may or may not have been spotted tearing up the Donway Place parking lot in a powerchair showdown with Linda—rules be damned, speed and laughter took priority. Les loved life deeply, and even in the face of illness, he chose to live it fully, with warmth, wit, and wonder. That wonder never faded; his final text to his children marveled at the universe’s colliding black holes, a cosmic dance predicted by Hawking and Einstein long before modern telescopes could confirm it.

Les was predeceased by his loving wife of 58 years, Arlene Sinclair (Wagner), his dear parents Donaldson and Ena Sinclair (Walton), and his beloved brother David Sinclair. His surviving and only sister Jean Van Doorn (Sinclair) is feeling his loss profoundly; they shared a lifetime of love and travel, and a unique sibling bond.

Les is survived and forever missed by his children, Holly Wagner (Sinclair), Don Sinclair (Cherrylyn), Tanya Sinclair, and Lisa Macri (Sinclair). Les shared a special and close relationship with his sons-in-law, Hal Wagner and Michael Voskuil. Les was an extraordinary father.

Grampie will be profoundly missed by his grandchildren, his beloved “whipper snappers”: Ana Cristina Wagner, Marco Wagner, Vincent Macri (Clara Xi), and Dante Macri. Les will be fondly remembered by his step-grandchildren, Anna and Nicki Voskuil. Grampie was a mischief maker, his pranks always delivered with a twinkle in his eye and affection. He was endlessly proud of his grandchildren, always eager for updates on their dreams and adventures, and continued sharing stories of their achievements right up to his final days.

Les now joins those who once called him brother-in-law, and with his passing, an era quietly closes. He follows Harry Van Doorn, Avon Wagner, Albert and Grace Wagner, Leora Baxter, and Milton and Louise Wagner—each part of a generation whose stories, laughter, and love shaped the family’s legacy.

He will be fondly remembered by his many nieces and nephews, all blessed to call him Uncle Les. He will be deeply missed and lovingly cherished by his friends and caregivers at his final home, Venvi Donway Place, and by friends and staff at Reconnect at Eglinton Hill Centre and St. Clair West Services for Seniors.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to Dr. Teresa Petrella of Sunnybrook Hospital for her optimism and tireless dedication in treating Les’ cancer; to Dr. Chen and Dr. Bakshi, his trusted family physicians; and to his compassionate PSWs and nurses at Donway Place. Special thanks to Christian Garcia of palliative care for his honest, attentive conversation with Les in his final days—it meant the world to him.

According to Les’ wishes, cremation has taken place with burial to follow in 2026 at Clementsvale Cemetery, Nova Scotia.

A celebration of Les’ life will be held and announced later, when friends and family can gather, reminisce, share funny stories, and honour his life.

In recognition of Les’ lifelong commitment to giving back to his community, the family kindly requests donations be made to Sunnybrook Hospital, Odette Cancer Program, or the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

With Les’ passing, the world feels a little dimmer, but his light lives on in all who loved him.