‘He was my everything’ - Big Stone’s wife remembers him as a man who loved deeply

Nearly 50 years ago, a chance encounter in a Half-Way Tree restaurant in St Andrew quietly rewrote two lives.

A young policeman, Claude Sinclair, walked in short of his lunch money and was met not with judgement, but with laughter. Darma, then working at the establishment, saw an opportunity to tease the handsome 18-year-old -- and in that light-hearted exchange, something deeper began to take root.

What started as a joke became a friendship, then a love story that endured decades. Yesterday, that story reached its final chapter when Sinclair, known to many as 'Big Stone', passed away at the Kingston Public Hospital after a fierce battle with prostate cancer.

For Darma, his wife of 46 years, the loss is immeasurable.

"He was the only man I loved and will ever love," she told THE STAR, her voice heavy with emotions.

Choking as she struggled to hold back the tears during a telephone conversation, Darma said Sinclair captivated her heart and mind; she never felt the need to look elsewhere for attention.

"From the day I met Claude I had never exchanged numbers with another man who was seeking a relationship, nor have I ever gone on a date. He was my everything, my best friend. From the day I met him, we were together until this day that he died," she said.

After meeting in Half-Way Tree 50 years ago, Darma and Sinclair got married in April 1980. Their union produced three children and a lifetime of shared memories.

"My husband had a good soul, and he was a very good father to the children," Darma said.

"He had a great sense of humour and I am going to miss that. He was a very loving person, and to tell the truth, I missed everything about him. Death just breaks us like that, no more friendship, no more husband," he said.

She told THE STAR that they lived together in the United States of America for sometime before Sinclair decided he wanted to return to Jamaica. She said that despite returning home, their marriage was not tested.

Sinclair, 68, was widely respected for his quiet acts of generosity across Jamaica. In 2023, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer -- a disease he described as stripping not only his health, but also his independence and dignity.

Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer among men, affecting one in nine during their lifetime, and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Jamaican men. Health experts continue to urge early and regular screening.

In March, during his final interview with THE STAR, Sinclair issued a plea rooted in experience and regret.

"Early detection does save life, because if doctors had early detected my cancer, it would have been contained only in the prostate, and would not have spread to different sections of my body," Sinclair said.

His widow said that in his final days, love was still the anchor holding them together. Darma recalled nights of unrelenting pain, moments when illness stripped away everything, except faith and endurance.

"Sometimes he would call mi at 1 a.m., and his words were, 'Lord God, Almighty!' He was just suffering so much. He went to the hospital and I called, and the caregiver said he wasn't responding, but I told her to put the phone to his ears. I said, 'Claude, don't forget that I love you.'"

"He accepted death and he told me he was very tired and that his soul was right with God. He is not suffering any more and I thank the Lord for that," Darma said.

Even in his final days, Sinclair's concern was never for himself alone. His caregiver, Rosemarie Bailey, said that just days ago, when he was in severe pain and near the end of his journey, he still spoke about giving.

"He told me that as soon as he was feeling better he was going to visit and assist a few children's homes. That was just who he was," Bailey said.

"Even on his sickbed, he was on his phone trying to help those who needed him. But, he was in so much pain. He would cry every day and every night, and I would sit and cry with him," Bailey said.