Vincent Joseph Soto passed away peacefully in his home in Tucson, Arizona on July 1, 2023. He was 52 years old.

Vince was born in El Paso, Texas on April 7, 1971 to Karin Gates, a software engineer, and Ramon Soto Jr, a systems tech. He grew up in El Paso with his brother Ramon (Ray) Soto III, and sister Adriana (Audrey) Soto, and enjoyed many wonderful hours spent with close friends and family: his grandmother Margarita Avalos Soto, grandfather Jose Ramon Soto, uncle Ruben, aunt Aurora, aunt Sandy, aunt Bonny, aunt Berdy, and aunt Yolie.

Following high school graduation Vince enlisted in the Navy and was excited to attend the Navy Nuclear Power School in Orlando, Florida. His training in the Navy set him on a lifelong path of continuous learning in science and engineering.

Upon returning from the Navy Vince enrolled in El Paso Community College, then University of Texas at El Paso, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Prairie View A&M University with highest honors.

Following graduation Vince was recruited to join Raytheon in Tucson, Arizona. At Raytheon, he excelled as a software engineer and received many awards and commendations, moving into leadership positions rapidly. He was passionate about advancing engineering technology, building teams, and mentoring others – especially early career new engineers.  His team members and peers universally appreciated his calm, generous leadership and loved working with him.

In Tucson Vince met the love of his life and partner, Andrea Babic. Vince and Andrea spent many, many happy hours hiking, kayaking, boating, birding, off-roading, geocaching, and traveling. Vince and Andrea attempted to do one new thing a month, from snorkeling with manta rays, to making vases at the glass blowing studio, to running a race. Vince and Andrea spent many evenings with their dog Daisy painting pictures and making mosaics.

Vince was a hands-on creator and had a passion for exploring and making things happen. He was ever curious, always learning across a broad range of topics, from geopolitics to architecture. He was adventurous, always finding a new waterway for Sharkbait, or "unpassable road" for the Blunicorn. Vince had the explorer's spirit. He spelunked the caves and abandoned mines he found. He would free climb any interesting looking rock face. He was an avid outdoorsman, adventurer, classic car enthusiast, and all-around mechanical genius. There was no object he couldn't fix, no problem he couldn't solve. His love of nature is evident in his backyard, brimming with wildlife and plants. His fun-loving and unstoppable can-do attitude was uplifting for all who knew him.

He was much loved by his partner, family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. He will be sorely missed.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, August 5th, 2023 at Agua Caliente Regional Park, Tucson, AZ, 8:00am. Memories will be shared starting at 9:00am. The event is potluck. Please contact Andrea Babic, Karin Gates, or Ray Soto for details if you'd like to bring food or drink.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in his memory to the Humane Society of Southern Arizona or the National Audubon Society.