Art Larrance, a key member of Linfield's 1966 NAIA championship baseball team, died Sunday morning, May 26. He was 80.
 
In addition to his standing as a member of the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame, Larrance was one of the most influential people behind Oregon's craft beer movement and a co-founder of the Oregon Brewers Festival.
 
The news of his passing was shared on social media by the Oregon Brewers Festival and across several news media outlets.
 
Larrance rose to prominence after founding Portland Brewing Co. in 1986 and the Oregon Brewers Festival in 1988.
 
In 1998, he co-founded Cascade Brewing, a pioneer in the Northwest-style sour beer movement that became a tourist destination for those coming to Portland to sample the craft brewing scene. For many years, he owned and operated the Raccoon Lodge in southwest Portland. The establishment was a longtime sponsor of Linfield Athletics until being sold and undergoing a name change. Cascade Brewing remains a premier sponsor of Linfield Athletics, even though Larrance sold the business along with the lodge several years ago.
 
Larrance displayed his devotion to Linfield Athletics in many ways, notably as a longtime football season ticket holder; as a financial contributor to the TopCat Club; and most recently as an engaged member of the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee. He proudly proclaimed his love for Linfield, often wearing a replica 1966 Linfield baseball team cap.
 
As a baseball player, Larrance was a prominent member of the 1966 NAIA championship club, which won 16 of its final 18 games on the way to claiming Linfield's first national championship in any sport.
 
Over the years, Larrance often organized informal reunions of his Linfield friends and teammates at the Raccoon Lodge, and also was an active member of the Old Timers Baseball Association of Portland.
 
Information regarding a memorial service for Art Larrance will be updated here once details are known.