William Breyer

William Breyer, age 83, of Southampton, MA, passed away on June 24th in Holyoke, MA.

Bill was born on August 12, 1938 to Michaeline Helen Breyer and Robert Breyer at the family’s farm in Southampton. Throughout his adolescence, Bill worked on the farm, and would remain a farmer at heart for the entirety of his life.

Bill received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1960 before enlisting in the Army. After spending two years serving in Germany, he returned to study at UMASS, receiving an MBA in 1966. For many years, Bill was an active member of the Southampton Conservation Commission—just one way in which he expressed his profound respect for nature.

Bill met Alba Quiros in 1980 while serving as Director of the Massachusetts Career Development institute, where Alba—having recently emigrated from Costa Rica—was an ESL student.  The couple wed in 1985, and went on to have two children: Alysa Breyer (Jesse Vengrove) and Susan Breyer (Paul Dryden). In February of 2022, Bill became a grandfather to Camila Dryden. Bill considered his family to be his proudest life achievement.

After retiring from teaching math at Asnuntuck Community College, Bill happily dedicated himself to tending the land around his family home, and continued to work on and cultivate the farmland where he was born. He could be found happily picking raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries from his very own patches; or planting vegetables and herbs in his beloved garden. In summer and fall, family, friends, and neighbors could expect special deliveries of the produce he harvested.

Bill was an extremely kind, gentle man, who expressed his love and care for others through selfless gestures and unyielding support. He was a nurturing, patient, and generous partner, father, and friend. He lived quietly, and yet touched the lives of countless people with his warmth and compassion. He will be greatly missed.

A celebration of life in Bill’s honor will be held at the family’s home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Holyoke-based urban agriculture organization Nuestras Raíces https://nuestras-raices.org/

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William Breyer, please visit our floral store.