Phyllis Jean Sinclair was born in Cherryvale, Kansas August 1,1930 during the Great Depression to Ethel and Maynard Sinclair. She enjoyed school, sisters Alice and Eileen, family and church. Dad Maynard was offered a job near Carlsbad, New Mexico to install and run an alfalfa hay mill on a ranching operation. Just like in the Wizard of Oz, the little Kansas Girl was dropped into the New Mexico semi desert ranching country. Phyllis attended Artesia High School her Junior and Senior years.
She met a good looking, for real Cowboy from the neighboring community of Hope. Robert Milton Kincaid was a genuine horse-riding, fence building livestock rancher who also played on Hope’s State Championship basketball team. Phyllis married her cowboy in Las Cruces, New Mexico December 18, 1948. Shortly after the honeymoon, they moved to the plains of eastern Colorado with a herd of 2000 sheep. Phyllis was made head rescuer of dogie lambs the mama ewes refused to claim when they hit the frozen snowy ground in February. She bottle-fed 20 lambs while living in a 19 foot travel trailer!
The young Kincaid couple made it back to Artesia in time to deliver a lamb of their own-Phyllis Kathleen on September 24, 1949. They leased the country store in Espuela and laid baby Kathy on the big sacks of pinto beans while they tended shop. They offered credit to seasonal farm workers primarily from Mexico. One night the store burned to the ground, destroying their first business. In 1950 they moved with the Alvin Kincaid family to Eastland County, Texas and bought a ranch. Robert hand built a house with rocks off the ranch for their growing family as Eddie, Patsy, Milta, and Becky were born over the next 10 years.
