Arkley (Arkie) Ed Derrick was born May 27, 1924 in Burns, OR to Floyd and Amanda Derrick, according to his obituary in 2018.

He married Delores Carlson in 1949 and they lived in Lewiston for a short time before moving to Pierce where they made their permanent home and raised their children Dena and Kenneth. The couple divorced in 1971. In 1974, he met and married, the love of his life, Donna Pearce. They lived in Weippe for a few years before moving to Orofino.

Arkie was one of the last true lumberjacks from Pierce. He began logging by hauling lumber from Troy, OR, to Lewiston up and a very narrow and windy Rattlesnake Grade. For close to 50 years, he sawed, skidded, drove logging trucks and operated all types of heavy equipment constructing logging and access roads in the rugged Clearwater Forests. Those who have traveled on the roads in the Clearwater drainage have no doubt traveled on one of his roads.

In the early 1950s, he worked alongside Eldon Hutchinson and Ray Norton to construct the electrical equipment and cable line necessary to receive and amplify the first television signals sent out from Spokane, WA. TV cable systems were built in Orofino, Weippe, Pierce and Headquarters by this pioneer team. This led to Arkie and Delores purchasing the Pierce TV Cable system, which they maintained until their divorce.

He worked with a small group of men to develop the Bald Mountain Ski area. As a charter member of the Bald Mountain Ski Association, he worked endlessly with others constructing, maintaining and expanding the ski hill. He was also an instructor for new skiers. His family could always be found traversing down the hill during the winter months.

Time in the beautiful outdoors of Clearwater's mountains was his favorite pastime. He spent endless hours walking throughout the forests hunting, but he was really just enjoying the beauty of God's creations.

He was an avid fisherman both on the Clearwater River for steelhead and Dworshak Reservoir for Kokanee. His fishing expertise was well known and he was often sought by friends for his fishing expertise.

Arkie loved his family deeply and worked endlessly, often in difficult situations, to provide for those he loved. He also cared for his friends and neighbors and would be there for them when he could. His life was filled with determination, kindness and modest living.

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