lit a candle 11h agoMy mom called me about this, she used to text me his Oregon ArtsWatch pieces whenever I was homesick. Sixty years old. Didn't expect that to knock the wind out of me sitting here in Mexico City.
Their story
Jason Vondersmith was an Oregon journalist whose career in newspapers spanned almost four decades. He was best known for nearly a quarter of a century at the Portland Tribune, from 2001 to 2025, where he worked as a reporter and editor, first in sports and later in features, and in…
Jason Vondersmith was an Oregon journalist whose career in newspapers spanned almost four decades. He was best known for nearly a quarter of a century at the Portland Tribune, from 2001 to 2025, where he worked as a reporter and editor, first in sports and later in features, and in his final year he was an editor and writer at Oregon ArtsWatch.
He was born in Ketchikan, Alaska, and graduated from high school there before studying at Oregon State University, where he earned a BA in Technical Studies in 1987. That same summer he began his career at the Ketchikan Daily News as a news reporter and sports editor, writing stories, taking photographs, editing and designing pages.
From 1988 to 1994 he was a contract sports correspondent for The Oregonian, covering mainly high school sports and general assignments before becoming the paper's West Metro sports beat writer. He then spent a year with The Associated Press in its downtown Portland and Salem legislative bureaus, and from 1995 to 2000 was a sports reporter at The Columbian in Vancouver, Washington, writing about high school, college, professional, community and outdoor sports.
At the Portland Tribune he spent 19 years covering all sports in Portland as well as Oregon football, before moving to the paper's Metro Life section, where he wrote about human interest topics, the arts and entertainment for print and online. Former Tribune editor Dwight Jaynes, who hired him, said he could give readers an entertaining story on anything from a Winterhawks game to a rock concert. When the Tribune ceased print publication and laid off most of its staff in June 2025, he turned to freelancing and joined Oregon ArtsWatch, where his first byline appeared on 14 July 2025. In September 2026 he took part in the ArtsWatch Road Trip to Central Oregon and wrote several stories from it.
Vondersmith died of an apparent heart attack on Sunday 4 October 2026, three days before his 61st birthday. His partner of many years, Celeste Yazdani, said the family was in shock because there had been no obvious warning signs. The couple lived in Brush Prairie, Washington, and he had become a stepfather to her three children. He was also survived by two sisters and a brother.
Colleagues remembered him as cheerful, rock steady and willing to take on any assignment. Dana Haynes, editor in chief of the Portland Tribune from 2018 to 2025, called him the consummate professional and said he took great pride in covering the arts community in all its wholeness and complexity. Funeral arrangements were pending at the time of his death, with a celebration of his life to be announced.
Biography adapted from News reports: Portland Tribune and Oregon ArtsWatch (Jim Redden, 5 October 2026).
In their own words
“Jason was a fine man who was diligent in his work and could give you an entertaining story on anything from a Winterhawks game to a rock concert.”
Dwight Jaynes, former Portland Tribune editor, 5 October 2026
“Jason Vondersmith was the consummate professional and an all-around good guy.”
Dana Haynes, Portland Tribune editor in chief 2018 to 2025, 5 October 2026
Photos
1by People Forever
That's exactly the kind of writer he was, made you feel like you hadn't left.