Obituary of William Hughes Breeze

William Hughes Breeze October 22, 1918 - June 7, 2016 Hillsborough - William Hughes Breeze, age 97, died at the Croasdaile Retirement Community in Durham, North Carolina. He was born in Cedar Grove, North Carolina. His parents were William Crawford Breeze and Dora Wilson Breeze. Bill attended North Carolina State University, where he was a proud member of the Agricultural Program. He later attended the University of Maryland. On March 15, 1943, he married Elizabeth McKnight. During World War II, Bill joined the Army Air Corps, where he was trained as a bomber pilot. He had a distinguished and highly successful thirty year career in the Air Force. His last post was as commander of a training command. He retired at the rank of colonel. His decorations included Legion of Merit and Distinguished Flying Cross. After retiring, he returned to farming in Orange County, North Carolina. He was an elder at Little River Presbyterian Church, a member of the Cedar Grove Ruritan Club, and the Schley Grange Hall. He was also active in the American Legion. He was a member of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. He served in many public positions including the Soil and Water Commission of Orange County, and on the Board of the N.C. Agricultural Foundation. Bill will be especially remembered for The Breeze Farm, his donation of land to North Carolina State University to be used as an incubator program to encourage people to pursue sustainable farming. He was very proud of the scholarship fund that he created, which provides $1,000 a year for four years for an agriculture student attending North Carolina State University. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth, and his parents, Crawford and Dora Breeze, and his sister, Alma Breeze. His survivors include his daughter Ann Breeze Sebesan and her husband Denny, his son William (Bill) Breeze, Jr. and his wife Mary, six grandchildren (Kelley Breeze, Will Breeze, Leighann Breeze, Katherine Breeze Crisson, Ashley Sebesan, and Heather Salem). Bill was also the great grandfather of Mackenzie, Marley, Levi, Violet, Torin, and Calum. Bill will always be remembered for his abundance of energy, unselfishness, and his compassion for others. The memorial service will be held 11 AM Saturday, June 11, at Little River Presbyterian Church. Visitation will be 6-8 PM Friday, June 10, in Walker's Funeral Home of Hillsborough. Memorials may be made to Little River Presbyterian Church, 4211 Little River Church Rd., Hurdle Mills, NC 27541 or to the Schley Grange, c/o Katherine Cheek, 4701 Brock Dr., Hurdle Mills, NC 27541.