Bill Brashier (‘52, ’59 M.S.), 93, a former football player and coach whose skills earned him a spot in the North Texas Athletics Hall of Fame, died Nov. 4.

He was a defensive back, quarterback and punter for North Texas from 1949 to 1951, and set two records that still stand today – single season interceptions (10 in 1951) and career interceptions (19). In 2013, he was named to the North Texas All-Century team as one of the 12 best defensive players in the school’s history.

He served as an assistant football coach for 11 years at North Texas for Rod Rust and Hayden Fry. Then he followed Fry to the University of Iowa, where he was a defensive coach and coordinator for 17 years. He helped build the Iowa program into a Big Ten contender, producing All Americans and top defenses, and is remembered as a great mentor to players and coaches alike.

In 1978, the Mean Green topped three defensive categories in the NCAA while he was defensive coordinator.

He also served in the U.S. Navy for three years.

Betty Norwood, 86, of Denton, who worked for UNT for more than 43 years as an assistant to the chair in the chemistry and physics departments, died Aug. 3. She came to UNT in 1969 and retired reluctantly in 2014 at age 78. She was most happy planning events and supporting the departments. She had survived breast cancer and is remembered for her generosity and devotion to family. Known for her sense of humor and storytelling, she enjoyed writing poems and short stories and was an avid traveler.

A “Celebration of Life” will take place at 11 a.m. Sept. 10 at the University Union, Room 382.

Debra Khoury, 66, who had worked in the accounts payable/travel area of the UNT System finance office, died June 15 in Denton. A graduate of Denton High School, she studied accounting at UNT and married her soulmate, Iseed Khoury (’91), in 1979. She began her career at the university in 1983 as an inventory clerk in the property and inventory control area and retired from the UNT System in 2016 as a payment analyst. In 2008, she earned UNT’s Steve Miller Outstanding Employee Award for her positive contributions to her department. Her family and friends remember her as warm, tenacious and unwaveringly kind. She loved going to church and the movies and was known as the “fun aunt” in her family. Survivors in addition to her husband include her children, Camille (’11) and Trevor (’11).

Gene Bilney, 72, who worked in the Science and Technology Library at UNT from 1985 to 2008, died April 12 in Cherokee, Iowa. Born in Nebraska, he attended high school in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and then Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, before heading for Texas. He studied library science, English literature and theology, attending graduate school at UNT from 1981 to 1988. He also enjoyed walking, traveling, genealogy, movies, antique sales, collecting books and listening to audio books.

Will Henry Derusha, 72, an associate professor of Spanish at UNT from 2008 to 2019, died April 22 in Denton. His primary research field was Spanish-language poetry, and his translation of Rubén Darío’s Cantos de vida y esperanza for Duke University Press was the first book-length Darío work to appear in English. He also published many other translations and scholarly works in multiple countries, including Spain, Germany, Nicaragua, Brazil and Chile. Growing up, he attended schools in Georgia and enjoyed learning other languages. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University and his master’s and doctorate from the University of Georgia. He also enjoyed reading, writing, playing guitar and spending time with his cats.

Michael Bezner, 78, who worked as a shipping clerk in Central Receiving for 19 years until his retirement in 2000, died March 31 in Denton. He was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Lindsay before moving to Denton in 1971. His faith and his family were very important to him.

Sierra McCorvey, Warren, Ohio. An opera singer, she was a doctoral student in the College of Music. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Youngstown State University’s Dana School of Music.

Mary ‘Janie’ Robinson, 78, of Denton, who worked as a financial aid counselor from 1990 to 2005, died Jan. 24. She is remembered for her positive attitude and smile as she helped many students secure their education through her work at UNT. She was a volunteer for local libraries, an active member of her church and a participant in dancing, exercising and volunteer activities at the Denton Senior Center.

Lindsey Moore Fields (’04, ’06 M.S., ’11 M.Ed.), who worked in various positions for 15 years at UNT, died April 24. Her allegiance to the Mean Green and college education began early. A trombone player, she played for the Green Brigade her freshman year – then went on to earn three degrees here. At UNT, she worked as an academic advisor and counselor; coordinator for academic initiatives and assessment; adjunct faculty; and assistant director for residence life. She also was a graduate teaching fellow while studying for her Ph.D. in higher education. In December 2020, she began working for Collin College as an advisor for their early college program – and even persuaded the carhops at Sonic to pursue college, according to her LinkedIn posts. Survivors include her husband, Matthew Fields, principal data warehouse architect for the Data, Analytics and Institutional Research (DAIR) team. Services are at 1:30 p.m. May 6 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 600 S. Jupiter in Richardson.

Aletha ‘Darlene’ Breed, 73, who worked as an administrative assistant in the College of Education from 1991 to 1998, died Feb. 24 in Azle. She also worked as a reports secretary for ARCO, teacher and principal at Outreach of Love Christian Academy, and writer and editor for Kenneth Copeland Ministries.

She was active in her church, where she served as a marriage counselor, licensed minister, communications manager and financial record keeper.