John Wallace Breckenridge

John Wallace Breckenridge, 97, passed away on November 8, 2025, at Newport House in Omaha, Neb.

He was born on October 12, 1928, to Harold and Esther Breckenridge and grew up in Woodston, Kansas, with his brothers, Donald, Leon, and David.

John served in the US Air Force from 1950 to 1954 and witnessed the explosion of the first Hydrogen nuclear fusion bomb on Eniwetok Atoll. After his service, John earned a B.A. and M.A. from Colorado State College in Greeley, Colo.

John married Opal Mae Anderson of York, Neb., in 1951. They had three children: Paul, Joyce, and Mark. He retired from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln counseling staff in 1996 and remained active in retirement with Immanuel Communities in Omaha. A graduate of Woodston Rural High School, John was honored to give the address to the Coyotes’ last graduating class in 1968.

Still here to remember him are John’s brother, David, and his spouse, Marcia; his sister-in-law, Virginia; his three children and their spouses, Jody, Lynn, and Ron; 10 grandchildren; and 20 great-grandchildren.