Vincent Ian Posner passed away unexpectedly on August 21, 2025. He was born on October 27, 1979, to his loving and adoring parents, the late Anna and Albert Posner. The oldest of two brothers, Vincent grew up in Los Gatos, CA at his parents' longtime home in the Santa Cruz mountains. Set on several acres with space to explore, the Santa Cruz mountains set the stage for Vincent's lifelong love of adventure and the outdoors. Whether it was biking to the ocean with friends, rock climbing or just playing in the dirt, he thrived outdoors.

If he wasn't exploring, Vincent could be found building. He loved working with his hands, a skill he honed from a young age. It started with Legos and taking apart home appliances, eventually progressing to building a three-story treehouse and RC cars. Later, he taught himself to weld. A useful skill when he then designed and built his own go-kart, 20' trailer and 1947 Willys rock crawler. After graduating from Los Gatos High School, Vincent studied Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona. In addition to his academics, he was very proud of his participation in the SAE Mini Baja Club.

His first job out of college merged his two loves, adventure and engineering. At Las Cumbres Observatory, he worked as a mechanical engineer designing and building telescopes to be installed on remote mountaintops around the world. His engineering and site trips afforded him the opportunity to travel, with trips to Siding Springs Australia, Haleakala Hawaii, Cerro Tololo Chile, Russia and England.

Most recently he worked at Santa Barbara Infrared, designing "telescopes in reverse," as he would say. Not only did he enjoy his work, Vincent found a true home at SBIR, where many coworkers became cherished friends.

It was at LCO where Vincent met his future wife, Rachel. Both engineers, their relationship was built on a mutual love of learning and embracing their nerdy personalities. They were married on May 17, 2014 in Carpinteria, CA. They went on to have three children. Matthew Vincent Posner was born on March 8, 2016. Shortly after, twins, Andrew Michael Posner and Vivian Isabelle Posner, followed on April 22, 2017. Vincent brought his love of projects to his kids. All three quickly learned that dad could build anything. Vincent was always happy to oblige any request, be it a cardboard violin or custom 3D printed play dough mold.

South Lake Tahoe was a lifelong second home to Vincent. He was barely walking when he learned to ski at Heavenly, where his dad was a volunteer ski patrol. Throughout Vincent's life, he made countless trips every winter to ski at his beloved Heavenly. He took great pride in being able to share that love with his own children, teaching them to ski on the very same mountain where he learned.

Vincent is preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Anna Posner. He is survived by his wife, Rachel Posner of Santa Barbara; children, Matthew, Andrew and Vivian Posner of Santa Barbara; brother, Tommy (Nicole) Posner of Los Gatos; and two dear friends as close as family, Jon and Karen De Vera of Santa Barbara.