Arthur Graham “Art” Derbyshire died on July 17, 2025 at his home in Hermiston at the age of 79.
He was born on March 20, 1946 in Paisley, Scotland along with his twin brother, Tom Ramsay Derbyshire to Arthur Brooks Derbyshire (of North Bend) and Jean Smellie Ramsay Derbyshire.
After his father finished his Army service, Art, along with his mother and brother, traveled to the U.S. from England and boarded a train to North Bend. He attended elementary school in North Bend, followed by one year of high school. Then he and his brother moved to Drain to live with their mom. They graduated from Drain High School in 1964, entering Eastern Oregon College (EOU today). While attending EOC, Art played JV basketball and ran on the track team for two years, earning his letter. He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and accepted his first teaching job in Elkton. Also while at EOC, he met and married Deanna Bellinger. They moved to Elkton, where he taught middle school math, science and P.E. He later would move to Elkton High School to teach science. He coached middle school basketball and track and then coached the Elkton High School track team. Art and Deanna’s daughter, April was born on April 6, 1971 – much to his delight!! He was so proud of the daughter he raised, especially when she joined the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Umatilla High School and eventually retiring after 20 years of service.
In the fall of 1977, the family moved to Umatilla. He taught science at Oregon Trail High School (trial merger of Echo and Stanfield). After the merger, he taught at Stanfield High School for the next 21 years. He taught a range of science classes, his favorites being biology and geology. During his teaching career, he received several honors. In 1984, he was named to the annual science talent search for the Westinghouse Science Scholarships and Awards for meritorious work with students. One of his students, Ian Gordon, was presented with an award from Westinghouse. During the 1989-1990 school year, the Oregon High School Science Teachers Association named him the Region #5 Science Teacher of the Year, and then he was their final choice as Oregon Science Teacher of the Year. In 2008, he was awarded the Eastern Oregon University Alumni Merit Award for his contributions to education and coaching. Besides teaching, Art served for a time as the advisor to the SHS Honor Society, in various class advisor positions, and as athletic director. He coached girls’ basketball, JV boys’ basketball and cross country, and was assistant track coach under Kenna Punches. He became Stanfield’s head track coach, leading his boys’ team to six district titles, five of them in a row. In 1999, Stanfield won the 2A Oregon Boys Track and Field Championship. He was honored as Umatilla County’s Coach of the Year. He retired from teaching and his head coach position and then coached the Stanfield Middle School team, finally retiring from coaching track in 2006. He was overjoyed when Stanfield built and dedicated their new track facility and was surprised when they honored him by naming it Art Derbyshire Track and Field Complex. This spring, Art volunteered to help coach track at Stanfield. He enjoyed this time working with other coaches and volunteers, some of whom he coached when they were in high school. He enjoyed meeting a new generation of track athletes at Stanfield High School and was immensely proud of the Stanfield boys finishing fifth at the 2025 2A Oregon Track and Field Championships. He also enjoyed helping with the Stanfield Booster Bash that supports a variety of programs in the Stanfield School District. His donation of items to the auction helped to raise money to support the Clara Ramos Memorial Scholarship, which he created over 15 years ago.
Art worked at various jobs during his summer vacations. The most memorable was the 40-plus years he drove wheat truck and hauled wheat out of storage for Proudfoot Ranches of Ione. In the summer, he often would send April to Scotland to visit her grandma and aunties. In the alternating years, he went himself to see family and was even known to have played the “Old Course” at St. Andrews (of course, he had to sneak on to play. This made for great stories when he returned).
As his students and friends know, Art enjoyed hunting from when he began college to this past April, when he made his third trip to South Africa with a few friends from Hermiston and Stanfield. He shared this final adventure throughout his visits with family, former students, and friends during the four weeks before his passing. He hunted in Oregon, Alaska, and New Mexico and 10 countries beginning in 1988 with his first trip to Mongolia. He enjoyed writing about his hunting adventures. He was a life member of SCI, a founding member of the Columbia Basin chapter in the Tri-Cities, a member of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, as well as GSC/OVIS, Wild Sheep, Oregon Hunter, and the Oregon chapter of the Foundation for North American Wild Sheep. In 2014, he completed his quest to take 12 species of wild sheep, completing his Capra World Slam. As an active member of the Hermiston Gun Club for 47 years, Art enjoyed shooting and helping to keep the club up and running. He enjoyed selling tickets to their annual crab feed and working to help support the two high school trap shooting teams sponsored by the club.
On Sept. 14, 1991, Art married fellow Stanfield High School teacher Deniece Matthews in Ione. Living in Hermiston, they enjoyed time with their daughter, April and son-in-law, Ron; their three grandsons, Ryan Spangler, Grant Spangler and Jackson Passmore; and their granddaughter, Addison Spangler. Besides hunting, Art was avid about the Oregon Ducks, especially their football and track and field programs. He and Deniece enjoyed using their season tickets and even attended the two football national championships the Ducks participated in (2010 and 2015).
He is survived by his wife, Deniece Derbyshire of Hermiston; his daughter, April Passmore (Ron) of Spokane, Wash.; twin brother, Tom Ramsay Derbyshire (Gerry) of Pleasant Hill; aunt, Yvonne Derbyshire of Napa, Calif.; sister-in-law, Rhonda McBee of Westport, Wash.; sister-in-law, Berniece Thornton of Fernandina Beach, Fla.; nephew, Cameron Derbyshire of Springfield; nephew, Mike Thornton (Sarah) of Windsor, Conn.; niece, Keely Braun (Justin) of Kenosha, Wis.; his four grandchildren; cousin, Tom Ramsay of Essex, England; and great niece, Frances and great nephew, Finn, both of Windsor, Conn.
Art was preceded in death by his mother and father, Art Derbyshire of North Bend and Jean Ramsay Paige of Carluke, Scotland; his mother- and father-in-law, Edith and Mike Matthews of Ione; and brother-in-law, Pat Thornton of Fernandina Beach, Fla.
A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025 in the Stanfield High School gym at 11 a.m. A reception and light lunch will follow in the high school cafeteria.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Clara Ramos Memorial Scholarship or to the Stanfield High School track and field team. Donations may be sent in his memory to Stanfield Secondary School, 1120 N. Main, Stanfield, Ore., 97875.
Please share memories of Art with his family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
Burns Mortuary of Hermiston is in care of arrangements.
