Jack Posnikoff<br/>July 22, 1927 - October 31, 2014

Jack Posnikoff, MD died on October 31 at his home in Palm Desert, California with family by his side. Jack was born in July 1927 in a small town on the Saskatchewan (Canada) prairie to Russian immigrant parents. Jack’s family left Saskatchewan and moved to Toronto where he grew up and attended the University of Toronto. Given the times, Jack was able right out of high school to enter a special U of T medical school program set up for the returning WWII veterans and subsequently became what was believed to be the youngest neurosurgeon in Canada.

After a few years on the medical school faculty at the University of Saskatchewan, Jack and his wife Shirley moved to Orange County (North Tustin) in 1960 where he eventually became a member of the faculty of the new UC Irvine medical school. After retiring from surgery, Jack worked until his early 80s a few days per week at the public health clinic in Santa Ana.

Amongst his many affiliations, Jack was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (Canada) and a former president of the Society of Neurological Surgeons of Orange County.

An avid hiker, sailor and gardener, Jack liked nothing more than to be outside whether in the desert or at the beach. A voracious reader, you could always tell which chair was his in the family room by the stacks of books and papers surrounding it. As a point of trivia, Jack was probably the only person ever to have been a member of the Canadian armed services (RCAF reserve) and a full colonel in both the US Air Force and the US Army Reserve/California National Guard.

Jack was the youngest and last of four brothers and was predeceased in 1984 by his beloved wife Shirley. He leaves behind a loving family including daughters Janet of Ontario, Canada and Cathy of Michigan; Judy of Newport Beach and Michelle and Amy of Mission Viejo; and wife Marcia and son William of Palm Desert.