Robert O. Sinclair

Robert Orville Sinclair passed away peacefully on Friday, February 14, 2025, at the impressive age of 102. Born on September 6, 1922, and raised on a dairy farm in Johnson, Vermont, Bob was a sixth generation Vermonter and the youngest son of William F. and Mattie Buck Sinclair. His four brothers, Russell, William F. Jr, Richard and Lawrence predeceased him.
Bob attended public school in Johnson before graduating in 1944 from the University of Vermont with a B.S. in Animal Husbandry. He served as Washington County Agricultural Agent and, except for 17 months service in the Navy, continued in this position until 1953 when he began as an instructor in Agricultural Economics at UVM. He earned an MS in Agricultural Economics from UVM and a PhD from Michigan State University in 1958. Dr. Sinclair rose through the academic ranks at UVM serving as assistant professor, professor, department chairman, and culminating as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Director of the Agriculture Experiment Station. He retired in 1987 after 34 years of a distinguished career of teaching and research but continued to stay involved in the University as much as he could up until his death.
On September 5, 1944, Bob married Cecilia J. Bilodeau, Dolly, his high school sweetheart and love of his life. Dolly died in 2016 after a short illness and Bob missed her dearly. They have two sons, Robert William and his wife Beverly of Rutland, and Steven James and his wife Susan of Millsboro, DE. He also has two grandchildren; Elizabeth and Sean, and one great-grandchild, Cary William Hancq.
Dr. Sinclair's primary satisfaction was in guiding and watching his sons mature and achieve their own life goals. He shared many hobbies with his sons, including camping, sailing on Lake Champlain, and golfing. Family always came first, and he and Dolly were welcoming hosts to many university events, graduate students, neighbors and extended family gatherings. Fond memories include yearly family trips to Cape Cod with a big lobster fete on the final night. After his retirement, Bob and Dolly traveled the country, ultimately deciding on Tucson, Arizona as their part-time home to escape the harsh Vermont winters. They loved the culture, people and landscape of the southwest, inspiring Bobby and Bev to do the same after their own retirement.
Bob and Dolly found new meaning and purpose when becoming grandparents and absolutely adored spending time with their two grandchildren. Elizabeth and Sean have fond memories of their trips to South Burlington to visit Memere and Grampy, including many playground visits, board games played, and bike trips in the neighborhood. His dedication to his grandchildren is evident by his building Elizabeth a playhouse outfitted like a real house. He was a great support to Sean in his own academic career of obtaining his PhD and becoming an assistant professor.
During his tenure at UVM, Dr. Sinclair taught or advised hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students, many of whom went on to prominent positions in agriculture in Vermont and throughout the country. He had a reputation as an excellent but demanding professor with the best interest of his students at heart. Dr. Sinclair conducted research on property tax burdens, land use and national dairy policies for over twenty years. He served as a member of the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors under both Governor's Salmon and Snelling. His research in land economics and agricultural policy afforded him the opportunity to make significant contributions to the State of Vermont as it was developing its nationally recognized Act 250. He was also influential in the passage of Vermont's farm and forest land Use Value Appraisal Program. In 2006, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences established the Sinclair Cup to recognize retired faculty who had outstanding careers in the College. He was the first recipient.
The family would like to thank the nurses and staff at the Residence at Shelburne Bay and Bayada Hospice Care for their care and support of Bob during these last few months. A Celebration of Bob's Life will be held at a later date. To honor Bob's life, donations can be made to the Robert O and Cecilia B Sinclair Future Stars Fund, established in 2017. Distributions from the fund shall be used to provide financial assistance to highly qualified undergraduate students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to participate in national or international conferences or study abroad programs. Donation information may be found at go.uvm.edu/sinclair
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Ready Funeral and Cremation services. To send online condolences please visit www.readyfuneral.com.