William Edmond Breese,

Born in 1933, in Memphis TN, Bill died on Friday, July 23, 2021. His early years were spent in Memphis, but at the outbreak of World War II, his family moved back to his Mother’s, Elizabeth Broome Breese, Home in Jacksonville, while his father, William E. “Dick” Breese was overseas with the State Department. After the war. The family moved to Coral Gables, Fl. Bill attended the University of Florida but was drafted and served in Korea. After the war, he returned to the Gables and went to the University of Miami while working for Eastern Air Lines. There he met a beautiful Eastern Air Lines stewardess from Chicago, Kitty Broderick, and they began more than 50 years of a wonderful life together. He rejoined the Army and completed OCS at Ft. Benning/ he became a French linguist and served in counterintelligence and other intelligence assignments in the US, Germany, Belgium and Vietnam, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He then began a career in labor relations in the trucking industry where he became Assistant to the Western VP of Roadway Express in Los Angeles; VP of Labor Relations, Murphy Motor Freight Lines, St. Paul, MN; and VP Human Resources, ANR Freight System, Denver , CO. In 1990, he returned to Roadway Express when it began RPS, a small package delivery service, and played a major part, as Director of Contractor Relations, in RPS’s growth into a multi-million dollar company that was purchased by FedEx and became FedEx ground, from which he retired in 1999. He was president of trucking associations in the Central and Western states. His knowledge of labor contracts was well respected and he chaired and served on many labor/management negotiations and contract disputes. His sense of humor and ready wit served him in good stead as he conducted hundreds of motivational meeting and conferences at trucking companies and related industries throughout the country. He attended the Universities of Florida, Miami, Maryland and graduated from the University of Arizona. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta, the Florida Yacht Club and Cercle Sportif. He loved skiing, and playing tennis and golf, but elected not to go on tour in either of those sports. He was preceded in death by his wife, Kathleen Broderick Breese and his parents, William E. “Dick” Breese, of Brevard, NC, and Elizabeth Broome Breese, of Jacksonville. He is survived by his son, William E. Breese, of Jacksonville, daughter Mary Kathleen Breese (Caster) of Chesterfield, VA, daughter Diana Elizabeth Breese (Vargo) of Fleming Island, Fl, and his sister, Susan Breese Bowers, of Grand Rapids, MI. Grandchildren are Will, Kyle, and Nicole Breese, Michael and Brianna Caster, and Zachary and Breese Noel Vargo. Funeral services will be private and interment will take place at the Jacksonville National Cemetery.