Skate Shoe Designer Sinisa Egelja Dies

by The Editors on October 26, 2009

Picture 3-4We got word this morning that Sinisa Egelja, the creative mind behind the emergence of the Airwalk skateboarding footwear brand, has died.

Sin, who was always eccentric, had one of the most creative minds in skateboarding. His footwear designs, which seemed delivered from the future, where endlessly boosted, ripped off, and appropriated by employers, competitors, and corporations. That coupled with personal troubles, made things extremely difficult for Sin, and for his family and friends during the past few years.

The last time we spoke Sin was especially hyped on his interview in Sneaker Freaker #10. The magazine, which came out in the summer of 2007, had finally given Sin the opportunity to tell the Airwalk story from his point of view (click the link to download the PDF). It was going to set the record straight once and for all. Sin believed the story would help put his career back into forward motion. Read it, and you’ll understand why. But things didn’t exactly go the way Sin had hoped and his life continued to be plagued with difficulty.

Our thoughts are with Sin’s family and friends who did so much for him over the past few years. Sadly, we don’t have any more details on his death. As soon as we get them, we’ll pass them along.

{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }

sonja egelja December 10, 2009 at 7:30 pm

I want to share with you all the details of Sin’s death and funeral as I know you all have many questions. ………………………. Sin came back to Australia in March of 2008. He was in a bad way. His friends joined together to send him back home to be with his family. He spent 7 months with his mum and dad Petar and Boja Egelja. But he wasn’t getting any better. So his best friend Brad Shore informed us that he needed help.So I Sonja (Egelja)Wilson Watterson and my other half Geoff Watterson took him under our wing. We had problems of our own. But my husband insisted as there is nothing more important than family. So Sin came and lived with Geoff and I and my two younger children Jessica and Andrew.I also have an older son called Brendan and a new daughter Laura. We all tried to help Sin and he loved us so much for trying. Sin was unable to get his drivers licence or health care. Geoff and I helped him get his licence and health care. Once he started taking medication he started to improve and was doing really well for a while. But my family situation changed and Geoff and I broke up. Sin and I and the two younger children Andrew and Jessie moved to the Central Coast to our parents holiday house. Sin seemed to be doing really well. But in the week before he died the walls started to fall around him. So many things were going wrong. But I thought he was handling them well. But I was wrong.I tried my hardest to help him and so did my family, more than you could imagine. Sin had so much to look forward to. And I really thought he was doing really well. That’s why his death came as such a shock to us all…………………….. The day Sin died I went to wake him up. As I did every morning, as I wouldn’t let him sleep all day, I tried to keep him busy so his depression wouldn’t get on top of him. But the morning of his death, he was very ill.I wanted to take him to hospital,but he wouldn’t let me. He said, “That he had been vomiting all night and just needed some sleep. So I let him sleep.I told him that I would check on him every hour to see if he needed any thing. which I did. And every time i checked on him he was sleeping soundly. ….. The last time I checked in Sin was at 2.30 in the afternoon.I then went out to pick up the kids from school and get some things from the shop. I got home at 4 o’clock. I checked on him again as I wanted to wake him up as he had been sleeping all day. But when I went to wake Sin up I found that he wasn’t breathing ……I freaked out……. I called the ambulance and then gave the phone to my daughter Jessie who relayed instructions to me to try to revive Sin.A friend of mine Melissa Granger helped me. I tried CPR but it was no help so I keep his heart going with heart compressions for 10 minutes until the first paramedic arrived.He tried the get Sin breathing again while I kept his hearts going.We continued to revive him for 20 minutes.I had 4 as asthma attacks while trying to bring Sin back, every time I stopped the heart compressions to use my inhaler Sin’s heart was flat lining.I tried my hardest to bring Sin back. More paramedics turned up and tried for another 30 minutes. But it was too late. We had lost him……. The street was full of ambulances and police cars. As Sin was on medication it was classed as a crime scene because they didn’t know how he died….We still don’t know the cause of Sin’s death as the investigation is still pending.We don’t know if he died from a massive heart attack or an accidental over dose or what?…………. But to be honest with you all, it doesn’t really matter how Sin died, nothing will bring him back.. Sin was struggling,the black dog was attacking him, and now all his pain is gone, And know SIN is at peace and that is all that matters………………………………………….. When someone passes away we shouldn’t focus on what we have lost,but what we have received by knowing them. and that is a gift that they have given us that will stay with us for ever. And knowing Sin was a gift an amazing gift. Sin touch so many people in so many ways. I am proud to be his sister, I really am. Sin was a legend and will continue to be a legend for ever…………………………………….. I wrote a letter that I wanted to be read at Sin’s Memorial in the US,but I was unable to send in time. So I will share that we you all on line.I will also share what I wrote and read at Sin’s funeral as it might shed a little light on Sin’s childhood………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. You are all here today to celebrate Sinisa Egelja’s life.Sinisa Egeja was better know as SIN ….. Being Sin’s sister I really wish I was there with you all. To meet you all , to talk to you all and to thank you all for helping Sin when he was in need. When Sin went to America he left his family behind to follow his dreams.He was away from us for 25 years. And in those 25 years I know he had a lot of fun and good experiences. I know there are many stories to be told of this amazing funny man……. When Sin came home last year, he left his US family behind. The family that he created. The family of Stella and Amy. The family of friends and work mates and I know you all feel the loss like I do of a beautiful man a gentleman and a scollar……. In the time we spent with Sin in the last year, he talked about many of you, He shared many stories with us.I feel like I know many of you personally.. Sin was a legend in many ways. As a father, as a friend, as a creative genius and as an individual. I am blessed to of known him, and especially blessed to be his sister……. I am a writer, I write songs poems and books. I wrote a song years ago, and when I looked at it a little while ago I realized it was Sin. It’s called Step out of the box, And that is what sin did so spectacularly. He stepped out of the box like no one else. And the legacy that he leaves should be exactly that. That we all should step out of the box. And dream as big as we can. Do it in Sin memory, do it for your self, I know I will……………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………………………..Love from Sin’s family in Australia his sister Sonja (egelja)Wilson Watterson, his brother inlaw Geoff Watterson, his nephews and nieces Brendan Andrew and Jessie Watterson as well as Laura Trethowen and Sin’s mum and dad Petar and Boja Egelja
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Step out of the box………………………………………… ……………………….. Give the world a kiss today…………………………………… …………………………… Step out of the box………………………………………… …………………………Do what you’ve never done…………………………………… ……………………………. Step out of the box……………………………………….. …………………………. Try something new today……………………………………. …………………………….. Step out of the box………………………………………. …………………………. Move out of your comfort zone……………………………… …………………………………… Step out…………………………………………….. …………………………………………………………………………………………….. ………………………………. Step out, like sin ………………………………………. ……………………………………………………………………………………………..

sonja egelja December 11, 2009 at 12:31 am

Sinisa Egelja , better known as Sin ……………………………………………………….. What a character, what a heart,. Sin’s was only matched by his personality, his sense of humour, his creativity, imagination, and his originality. And WOW was he original. There was no one else like him on this planet. Sin was one in 6 billion. There will never be another Sin. Sin was intelligent funny, he was cheeky, and he was very very naughty. Not in a bad way, but in the most amusing way a human being could be. The character and personality that God gave him was amazing. All of his characteristics were as large as they could be. His courage, his strength, his unconditional love for every one he loved, for every one he meet, and even every one who he never meet, was inspiring, He loved all of us with all of his heart. And his heart was massive…. Sin’s moral standing was incredible. It influenced everyone he new and loved, especially me his sister…………… Sin was a genius. He thought out side the box. Which is what made him Sin . He never followed trends, he set them. He was an individual. ……….. I Ioved Sin very much. I cant even try to discribe to you what it was like to grow up with Sin or what he means to me. He was my only sibling, my amazing brother. Me Sonja, the sister of Sin……. He always found that amusing and so did I, Growing up with Sin ha ha , was an experience that you could never imagine. …….We came to Australia in 1970 with our parents. Sin was 8 and I was 4. We always felt so priveledged to be here, in the lucky country. The country of dreams. And dream Sin did.He dreamed really BIG and achieved so much because of it. ………….. Our parents Petar and Boja Egelja, sacrificed every thing they had to come here, just to give us a better life, a better education, a better chance in life. Sin and I always appreciated the sacrifice our parents made for us. And we both love them with all of our hearts. We knew we were lucky , lucky to be in the greatest country in the world, and lucky to have the greatest parents in the world……I loved Sin so much, or I should say I love Sin so much. When we were little I always wanted to be around him. He was so much fun to be around. He was funny, he was cheeky and very adventurous. I cant tell you how many pranks he pulled on me. Sin was never serious. He was always mucking around, I mean always mucking around, and I loved it. I always wanted to around him. To the point that it would annoy him.We would always play together and I would never get sick of his company. But sometimes Sin would want to play with his own friends, and even then I wanted to be with him. I’d plead with Sin to go with him, and the only way he could get rid of me, was by being mean to me , so I would run off crying and then he would take off……I remember one time when we were older and Sin had a trial bike he rode at Red Hill at Beacon Hill. I begged him to take me with him. He eventually said,”O.K. sis hop on”. Well the house at Beacon Hill had a really steep drive way. And as Sin took off, he popped a wheely and dropped me flat on my ass on the concrete drive way. I was so ticked off. For one, he didn’t take to Red Hill, and for two, he bruised my tail bone. ……… But most of the time Sin looked after me. He also looked after our mum and dad. When we first came here to the lucky country, we couldn’t speak a word of English. It didn’t take Sin and I long to learn, but it did take mum and dad years. Sin was the one who helped mum and dad with all the in’s and out’s of society. He filled in forms. He explained the things they needed to do, andhe acted as their interpreter. He was a good son. Actually he was a great son, and a great brother.

sonja egelja December 14, 2009 at 4:07 pm

Sonja Wilson ……………………………………………………Contiued ………………….Sinisa Egelja………………………………………………………………. For a long time there only the 4 of us. Mum Dad Sin and my self. For Sin and I, we only had each other. Two little Wog kids alone in a scary new world. Sin guided me, helped me, He protected me, and most importantly he loved me And I loved him back just as much. Sin was orsome. His passion for life was amazing. Which rubbed off on me like you wouldn’t believe……… Sin loved his family and friends with a passion.He also loved surfing, cars, photography and skating.He especially loved skating and his skater mates…….. Sin started skating on a little ramp in Manly. Then Skate City open up at Manly. he spent every spare moment he had skating, and he was getting really good. So when he turned 21,he set off to America to go Pro. Sin did really well for a while, until he hurt his back…… Then he got a job at Air Walk Shoes. Sin started at the bottom and worked his way up to the top. In the end Sin was Air Walk.He was involved in every aspect of Air Walk. Design, production, marketing. Sin was inspiring. Sin was the Vice President of Design Research and Development……….I was so proud of him. Sin was a creative Genius. I saw it for my self, when he married Amy Hostetter in the love of his life, 1995. All of his dreams had come true. Though Sin didn’t become a Pro Skater, he skated with the pro’s,and created shoes for them,and he loved that…… He had every thing. A great job, a beautiful wife, an amazing home. and some really cool cars he always wanted…… Sin was a genius, but his greatest master piece was his daughter Stella. He loves her with all of his heart, mind soul and spirit. Sin adored Stella and she adored him. He was so proud of how intelligent, beautiful kind and creative she is. Stella is just like Sin. She is a very special individual. She has many of Sin’s qualities, in mind blowing… Sin leaves an unbelievable legacy with the work that he has done, but his greatest legacy is STELLA…………………… Though Amy is no longer Sin’s wife, they remained the best of friends. Amy and her family will always love Sin. David and Marsha Hostetter, Stella’s Grand parents and Break, Sin’s sister in law. They adored Sin like a son and brother. Sin touch so many peoples heart, and he will remain in every ones heart for ever…RIP, SIN, WE LOVE YOU……. You are a gentleman and a scholar,. And every one will miss you dearly..

…………………………THE MAN WAS A SUCCESS…………………………………….

sonja egelja December 14, 2009 at 5:55 pm

Sonja Egeja ……My full name is Sonja (Egelja) Wilson Waterson You can contact me at SonjaEgeljaWilsonWatterson@hotmail.com…………………………………………………………………I will get back to you with some poems that were read at Sin’s funeral… ……………………….. Thank you………………………………………………………….

sonja egelja December 14, 2009 at 8:59 pm

THE MAN WAS A SUCCESS …………………………………..
That man was a success.
Who lived well,
Laughed often and loved much.
Who gained the respect of,
Intelligent men and weman,
And the love of children.
Who filled his heart,
And accomplished his task.
Who leaves the world a better place,
Than what he found it.
Who never lacked appreciation,
Of the earth’s beauty.
And the people in it.
Or failed to express it.
Who looked for the best in others,
And gave the best he had………..

……….HE IS GONE………………

You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile that he lived.
You can close your eyes,
And pray that he’ll come back,
Or you can open your eyes,
And see all that he has left.

Your heart can be empty,
Because you cant see him.
Or you can be full of ,
The love that you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow,
And live yesterday.
Or you can be happy for tomorrow,
Because of yesterday.

You can remember him,
And only that he is gone.
Or you can cherish his memory,
And let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind,
Be empty and burn your back.
Or you can do what Sin would want,
Smile,open your eyes,love and go on.
…………………………………………

HOW DO YOU LIVE YOUR DASH….

I’ve read of one who stood to speak,
At the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on the tombstone,
From beginning to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth,
And spoke the following dates in tears.
But he said what matters most of all,
Was the little dash between those years.

For the dash represents all the time,
That he spent on this earth.
And now all those that love him,
Know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not,how much we own,
The cars,the house ……. the cash.
What matters is how we live and love,
And how we live our dash.

So think about this long and hard,
Are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left,
For it can still be all rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough,
To consider what’s true and real.
And always try to understand,
How other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more.
And love the people in our lives,
Like we’ve never done before.

If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile.
Remember that this special dash,
Only last a little while.

IN MEMORY OF SINISA EGELJA

BETTER KNOWN AS SIN

ALL MY REGARDS TO YOU ALL

FROM

SONJA….THE SISTER OF SIN.

Ljuba Egelja January 23, 2010 at 12:14 pm

Zao mi je sto nisam imao priliku da te upoznam i ponosan sam kada vidim komentare drugih ljudi.
Moje saucesce porodici.
Hope you’ll understand the language.

Dave August 12, 2011 at 4:53 am

I was Sin`s first friend in in Oz

Love u mate.

Les September 27, 2011 at 8:13 pm

I would like to put together a collage of sin pictures.

If anyone has the time to send their personal photos of Sin, i would be so appreciative for your help.

Les@ryansdad.com

I still miss my friend terribly.

Thank you all.

Les

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