Peter Breysse was the older brother I never had. As a new teacher, he mentored me. As an athlete, he challenged me. As a loyal Cougar, he Dawged me. As an educator, he inspired me. 

And as a teacher, I made sure my own kids took his classes. That's my highest compliment. I wanted my own kids to be around him, to be mentored by him, to be challenged by him. 

As a first year teacher, Peter and George Robertson got me in all kinds of good trouble. Treating me as "the new kid," they frequently threw me under the proverbial bus – the more public and the more embarrassing the better for them. But I knew they loved me and I loved them for it.

I thought I had a passion for poetry, but when I met Peter, I realized there are different levels of passion, understanding, and intellect that I needed to aspire to. He often made me laugh. He sometimes made me question my thinking. He frequently made me revisit my teaching practice. He occasionally made me angry. But, the truth is, he made me a better person.

My deepest condolences to his wife and kids – he always had such beautiful things to say about you and was so proud of you! Peter's passing has had a profound impact on me, but I know that in no way can compare to your loss. I just want you all to know that (as I referred to him) Lord Peter Vincent Breysse was my friend and my colleague and I miss him dearly.

Benedicite. 

High School is a bit of a blur 24years later, but it is the people like Mr. Breysse that will be seared in my memory as those who truly cared about me, and saw my struggle and wanted me to succeed. My dreams about attending university came crashing down weeks before graduation from high school, and it was Mr.B that encouraged me to find other way to pursue my dreams, to plow thru. He truly believed in me. I am forever grateful to him.

My deepest condolences to his family. 

It's so beautiful to read all the stories from former students, as well as other teachers I loved at MTHS.

My Senior year was full of ups and downs. The highs were so high, and the lows felt crushing. How lucky I was to have a teacher like Mr. Breysse during that time. I often felt like he could see what was going on with me before I was able to express it. And he never judged, he never forced me to talk about it, but he gently guided me through what I was clearly needing with such grace and care.

One of my favorite High School memories was the week before Winter break 2012. We had finished our Shakespeare unit, so Mr. Breysse was explaining to us that we were about to watch "10 Things I Hate About You".  Mr. Breysse called me out, "Some of you may have seen this - Serena definitely has - but..." I interjected "No, I haven't!" This was absolutely not what Mr. Breysee was expecting. He lost all bravado and showed complete, genuine shock. "What?! You're the hopeless romantic! And the actress! How have you not seen this?!" The viewing of the movie over the next few days turned into the class watching me watch the movie! Mr. Breysse delighted in this as well. How special it is to be celebrated and accepted for the way you express joy. I'll always remember how that made me feel <3 

As a substitute teacher, I knew Peter Breysse for twenty years. The first day I met him, so long ago, I noticed something immediately: he was brilliant. Peter could provide a mini-lecture on any topic, at any time. For this reason, it was fun to listen to him. You never knew where he would end up. The most ordinary question would lead to the most extraordinary answer. Ask him what time it was, and he would tell you about the Benedictine monks who invented clocks, Rilke's Book of Hours, and Franklin's observation that "time is money." In contrast, everyone else would just say, "It's ten o'clock."

When he was finished wringing a subject dry, I would ask myself, "How can one person know so much?"

Due to this free-flowing brilliance, I always wanted to attend his classes. I always wanted to see him in action. While I never got that chance directly, I did walk by his open door a decade ago. Standing in front of students, he thundered, "Walt Whitman changed poetry!" After a theatrical pause, he shouted again, "Walt Whitman changed poetry!" Peter then launched into a powerful summary of the man known as the "Bard of Brooklyn."

That moment outside the classroom door has stayed with me. This is because, in many ways, Peter closely resembled Whitman. For one thing, both were poets. Both were also great observers of the world. Most significantly, both spoke in free verse. A simple question addressed to either one of them would launch a page (or two) of intense commentary. In fact, what Whitman wrote in "Song of Myself" could easily apply to Peter. It was, "I am large, I contain multitudes."

For Mr. Breysse, a man who had a lot to say, that one line says it all.

--Tom Boland

It is with tremendous sadness that I write this tribute to my oldest brother Peter. While I will admit, sometimes it was difficult to get along with him, he was still one of the best brothers one could ever hoped or asked for. He embodied everything that is good and bright in this world, he was larger than life and was taken from us too soon.

I am blessed to be his brother, I’ll never forget how much fun we all had on the family trips to Ocean Shores, playing the alphabet license plate game in the car. He showed me how to make little hydroplanes out of balsa-wood, painstaking painting them and then racing them in the street gutter. I remember the trips to see him when he worked as a cook at Mount Rainier. I’ll never forget the many time times I took him to and from work when he was a cook at Clair’s Pantry in Shoreline. He never let me forget how much he appreciated me for taking him.

Whenever any of us needed help Peter was always there to help. I remember one time when I was moving, Peter was the first to volunteer to help me move. I learned later on that he gave up Husky football tickets to a big game to help me move. When I told him that I would have understood if he had chosen to go to the game instead, all he said was to him family will always come first.

Family was always important to Peter; he loved his family profoundly. He was a devoted husband to his wife, Carole and their two daughters Emma (Clifton) and Katie (Nate) and his grandson Theo. I loved watching him being a Dad, it was one of his best jobs. Peter did that with the same zest he brought to life.

I always knew my brother Peter had a passion for teaching, I only now realize just how much. One of my favorites stories I tell people about him was when he was asked back by his former students from Bellevue Christian after he left to teach at Mountlake Terrace High School to be their graduation speaker. After reading the tributes posted by his former students, I am in awe, it is obvious that he was a man deeply committed to his profession and his genuine desire to make a positive impact on his students' lives.

Peter, you will always be remembered, no matter what. Your presence, love, and kindness will forever be with us. So, rest in peace for now until we meet again.

I Love and miss you dearly,

Your brother, Mike

One of my favorite teachers at Mountlake Terrace High School passed away. His teaching in AP English made a real difference in my writing which carried me through college. I’ve used my experience in that class as an example to Madeleine about working hard even when you feel like you’re in over your head. I still say “jokie jokie” especially if it was a rude joke. Glad you made it to heaven safely, Breysse.

I felt like I should add this too:

Before I had Mr. Breysse as a teacher I remember he was quick witted and had a good relationship with his students. He was popular in the halls. I remember walking through those halls one day and seeing “about me” posters of various teachers. I don’t remember anyone else’s poster, but I do recall that his answer to “What Is Your Favorite Book?”.

In high school (and beyond) I was a raging turd of an anti Christian atheist, so when I saw “The Bible” listed as his favorite book I was surprised and disappointed. An English teacher could have picked any book, but he picked The Bible. In his class, I never once saw him show evidence of being a hypocritical Christian which was always fuel to my fire. His sense of humor and obvious intelligence were kind of intimidating, but he made a point to relate to all of his students so we all felt seen and valued.

Fast forward to now, I am a Christ follower and I even work for my church. I see that Mr. Breysse really was shaped by knowing Christ and his love for his students was overflow. He knew and loved The One who made him so he knew his job was to know and love his students. He was one of those Christians who truly exemplified what it means to produce good fruit. May he rest in sweet heavenly peace after a job well done.

I mostly knew Peter from when my brother was first dating his daughter, back in high school. Nate's warnings did little to prepare me for his dry and impossibly sharp sense of humor! But he was so obviously kind, with the heart of a teacher. I remember wishing he had been my teacher; he seemed so much more interesting than the ones I had.

And he was so gracious about that time Nate ran into their garage door.

Peter was obviously a huge part of why Nate felt so welcomed and loved by the Breysse family. I wish I'd thanked him one last time for caring for my brother like his own son. 

Wow. This one hurts. Mr. Breysse was that rare teacher that could really evoke a sense of wonder and curiosity from his students. He was funny, caring and somehow convinced high school students that English literature was something you didn't want to miss out on.He was not one of those teachers you can't recall. Most of my high school acquaintances still talk about Mr. Breysse's classes when we get together. 

When I gave a commencement speech for Graduation, I quoted Thoreau, which I had picked up from class. Mr. Breysse noticed, and gifted me a collection of Thoreau's writings. He was that kind of teacher.

Goddamn this one hurts. We love you, Mr. Breysse, and my heart goes out to his family.

My favorite story is so funny! It was our last day of senior year and as we all gathered in the gym for the moving up ceremony. I looked at Mr. B. And I told him that I was his favorite student and that he knew it and I did too, he laughed and said "no one is my favorite, I love you all" I couldn't take that as an answer lol (naturally) so I told him that he had to give me a hug! He said "no that's where I draw the line" and I still got a hug after a few more tries. He was the best and told me everyday that I had potential (even I still have a hard time seeing it still) but he saw it.  RIP to one of the greats,  you will surely be missed. 

One of my best Teachers

I cherish memories of his class and how he chose to teach his students. He will be greatly missed. 

RIP Breysse

Your family is in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. 

The A-mazing Teacher!  

Mr. Breysse was my teacher for  English & Drama at MTHS in the early 80's.  An INSPIRATIONAL teacher who made learning fun, keeping us on our toes by ENGAGING  memorable lessons. He was CREATIVE with a positive growth mindset in a supportive classroom believing in every student's potential. He was an enthuastic teacher who supported athletics and made the time to follow the games/events. He was a GOOD LISTENER who could observe and knew what to say with a clever sense of humor. The best part was having the chance to reconnect and work together at MTHS. He left a lasting positive impact on my life, making me deeply grateful for his supportive guidance.

Peter, you’re the true MVP! 

Mr. Breysse was a legend at MTHS, both before and after my time. When I was in 8th grade, my best friend's older brother was in his AP English class at the time, and we heard him learning the famed Macbeth soliloquy for class. Naturally, we wanted to keep up and so we learned it, too-- and still knew it when both of us joined Mr. Breysse's AP English class ourselves a few years later. I remember his class being full of rigor, energy, and challenging ideas and I'm forever grateful for the time we had with him. 

Julia Beers, MTHS class of 2002

Mr Breysse was one of those teachers that we all have very specific fond memories of. Other than reading Macbeth for what seemed like a full year...my other favorite memory of him is when he required us to go to an authors reading for AP English. He wasn't very specific about the task...so the whole class went and saw Tom Arnold read from his memoir at Third Place Books, and took a class photo with him to share afterwards. He was not amused.

He had a very casual, conversational, teaching style that I respected immensely - he treated us like adults, even though we were little bastards. And we're all the better for it.

Rest easy you legend.

Taylor Durand-Scaggs, MTHS ‘04