Vincent Chester Pettit
Vince Chester Pettit, 84, passed away peacefully at his Santa Barbara home on January 11, 2025, surrounded by his loved ones. Born in Rochester, New York, Vince moved to California at age eight with his father, eventually settling in Los Angeles before making Santa Barbara his home in 1972, where he met his wife and started a family.
Vince wore a unique mix of professional hats: Hughes Aircraft worker, Los Angeles taxi driver, UCSB facilities manager, real estate investor, and owner-operator of the Old Yacht Club Inn Bed & Breakfast. But he was, at his core, a talented craftsman and artist. Whether rebuilding classic cars salvaged from junkyards, renovating homes, or sculpting and painting in his garage studio, Vince had the ability to make something extraordinary out of the ordinary.
Art and activism were intertwined in his final years. Vince launched “Fried Egg Climate Action” (Instagram: @friedeggclimateaction), placing plaster and wax “fried eggs” around Santa Barbara on particularly hot days to provoke thought and awareness about climate change. Vince preferred people draw their own conclusions about his art. Maybe, he hinted, it was like the old proverb: “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Or in his words: “When life gives you heat—fry eggs.”
Vince had a deep belief in numerology, viewing numbers as his personal religion. He calculated life meanings from birth dates and shared his numerical philosophy with almost anyone he met, including his hospice staff and doctors, distributing pocket size explanations of his system.
Vince was a man of quiet generosity and deep thoughtfulness. His compassion extended to Santa Barbara’s unhoused community. He regularly stopped for conversations, handed out McDonald’s gift cards, left shoes for those in need, and once distributed coins wrapped with precious stones. For his grandson Dylan, he buried an actual treasure chest filled with coins and made a map to find it.
Vince enjoyed life’s simple pleasures: a good cigar and a stiff greyhound cocktail, classic movies, The New Yorker magazine, his robust vinyl collection, a strong cup of coffee with the morning newspaper, pet fish, and camping trips in his original 2005 Sprinter van. He had a lifelong love of English Bulldogs and scenic bike rides.
He is survived by his wife Eilene, daughter Brianna, grandson Dylan, and his English Bulldog Tank.
“A memorial art exhibition showcasing Vince’s work is planned for 2026.”
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Community Environmental Council at https://cecsb.org/
