Vincent George Kokich was an orthodontist in Tacoma, Washington, USA. He was born on 17 September 1944 in Tacoma, the son of Obren George Kokich, a partner of a fishing boat and a deep-sea fisherman, and Helen Margaret Kokich née Lisicich. He attended Lowell Elementary, Mason Junior High and Stadium High School. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound and then went on to the University of Washington for his dentistry and orthodontic degrees. He practised orthodontics in Tacoma for 35 years, during which time he also taught at the University of Washington and lectured all over the world, becoming a leader in the field of orthodontics. During his career, he wrote 21 book chapters, 84 scientific articles, 48 review articles and 32 editorials for the *American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics*. He was president of the American Board of Orthodontics and the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry. In 2000 he became a fellow of the Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He retired from his practice in 2010 and became editor-in-chief of the *American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics* in the same year. As a young boy, he learned to play the accordion and sing Croatian folk songs. As a young man he fished commercially every summer and as an older adult played golf, worked in his garden and went fishing. Above all, he enjoyed spending time with his family. In 1968 he married Marilyn Frances Vukovich. He died suddenly on 24 July 2013 at the age of 68 and was survived by his wife, mother, four children, Vince (his practice partner), Mary, Obie and Marija, and seven grandchildren, Nicholas, Maddy, Nick, Luke, Kate, Jackson and Mia.