David Sinclair Sleeter

Services will be Saturday for David Sinclair Sleeter who passed away peacefully, May 10, 2005 at his home in Capitola following a lengthy cardiac related illness. He was 69.

Born on August 6th, 1935, in Fresno California, Dave was the first son of Frances and Sinclair Sleeter. He grew up in Fresno, graduating from Fresno High School in 1953 and then served in the US Army from 1954 to 1957 as a French Horn player in the 32nd US Army Band stationed in Bushey Hall, England. He married his high school sweetheart, Pauline Shirk, in 1956 and they had three children, Don, Doug and Diane.

Dave and Pauline raised their three children in Fresno where he worked as an insurance salesman until their divorce in 1969 when he moved to San Jose and then to Santa Cruz in 1972. His son Doug came to live with him in 1974 during his high school and college years.

In 1984 he married Chris Carlson with whom he shared many of the best years of his life. They lived on their sailboat in the Santa Cruz harbor for several years, and together they founded Sinclair Insurance Services, a firm that became the premier group health benefits consulting firm in Santa Cruz County.

Dave enjoyed sailing and was a motorcycle enthusiast. He was a docent at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and was a supporter of the Santa Cruz Symphony.

He is remembered by his friends as "a true friend, full of humor, and a sincere confidant." He is remembered by his business associates as "a trusted expert advisor and a true professional." Dave enjoyed many close friendships over the years. His greatest joy was spending time with family and his many friends.

He retired from Sinclair Insurance Services in 2002 and continued to consult with the firm until early 2004. In recent years Dave has enjoyed traveling to Germany, riding his motorcycle around town, and volunteering at local organizations.

He was a former Commodore of the Elkhorn Yacht Club. He was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary and a Past President of the Brookvale Terrace Homeowners Assoc.

Even as Dave's health deteriorated over the last few years, he remained optimistic to the end.

He is survived by his mother, Frances Sleeter of Santa Cruz; brother, Michael Sleeter of Los Gatos; sister, Virginia Petersen of Santa Cruz; three children, Don Sleeter of Castro Valley, Doug Sleeter of Pleasanton and Diane Dahlberg of Lodi. He was also survived by five grandchildren, David, Amy, Thomas, Gregory, and Mara, as well as many dear friends, past and present.

Memorial services will be held at the Pacific Gardens Chapel at 1050 Cayuga Street, Santa Cruz, CA, (831) 423-5721. May 21, 2005 at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu flowers, contributions are preferred to, the Santa Cruz Symphony, (831) 462-0553, www.santacruzsymphony.org/support.htm or the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival, (831) 457-9693, www.scbaroque.org.