Norman Vaughan Breckner

Norman Vaughan Breckner passed away in Ventura, California on January 1, 2013 at the age of 90. He was born in Olympia, Washington and raised in Olympia and Tacoma. After high school he attended the University of Puget Sound. During WWII, he served as a lieutenant in the Army Air Corps in England, where he worked as a meteorologist. After the war, he returned home, earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics from the University of Washington. He later received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

In 1943, Norman married Evelyn Hawthorne, who was from Raymond, Washington. They had two children, daughter Carol, born in 1947, and son Gene, born in 1949. The family spent time in Chicago where Norm finished his education, then relocated to Santa Monica, California, where Norm was an assistant professor of economics at UCLA. He was also employed by the Rand Corporation. In 1962 the family moved to northern Virginia, where Norm worked for private and government agencies until his retirement.

In 1987, Norm and Evelyn moved to Ojai, California, where they spent their time walking, volunteering, and visiting with their daughter, son and two grandsons. Norm particularly enjoyed listening to Evelyn play the piano. Evelyn passed away in 2010. She and Norm were married for 67 years. They touched the lives of many with their friendship, loyalty and love. As their children would say, “They were truly a rare pair.”

Norm will be missed by his daughter Carol of Tucson, Arizona; and his son Gene and daughter-in-law Cathi of Palmdale, California. He is also survived by grandsons Joshua Smith of Tucson and Brian Breckner of Palmdale.