Patrick Francis McManus
(August 25, 1933 - April 11, 2018)

Patrick Francis McManus, beloved husband, father and New York Times bestselling author, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Spokane. Pat was born in Sandpoint, Idaho. Often truant from his mother’s one room schoolhouse in Squaw Valley, he began a lifelong journey to find the biggest and best huckleberries. Pat loved telling stories, freshly caught fish cooked on the banks of a stream, mushroom picking and foraging for other wild foods, most of them edible. He had an enduring passion for photography and art, particularly watercolors. Book signings took Pat across the United States where he always enjoyed meeting his many fans. However, he was happiest exploring the outdoors of Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Pat was fortunate to have a varied career from newspaper reporter, feature news writer for local television, English and journalism professor at EWU, columnist for Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines, author of 5 plays and 24 books.

Pat is survived by Darlene (Bun), his best friend and wife of 64 years, daughters Kelly, Shannon, Peggy and Erin, 9 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends including Rancid Crabtree, Retch, Crazy Eddy, the Troll, Bo Tully, and Daisy.

Private funeral service at the family's request. In lieu of gift fish, donations may be made to Hospice of Spokane.∼Well known outdoor writer and humorist Patrick F. McManus has passed away. McManus was from Sandpoint, Idaho and attended WSU. He was 84 years old.
Patrick F. McManus was an American author of humourous columns on the outdoors and mystery novels. His mystery novels feature his character Sheriff Bo Tully. His columns were originally written for various outdoor magazines such as Outdoor Life and Field & Stream and have been collected into various volumes. The columns consist of semi-fictitious characters and running jokes with the main themes being hunting and fishing.

Patrick F. McManus became a published author in 1978 with the collection A Fine and Pleasant Misery. His first novel was The Blight Way, which was published in 2006.
McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho.[3] His father, who served in the 42nd ("Rainbow") Division under Douglas MacArthur during World War I, died when Patrick was six. Although his mother later remarried, for the most part he was raised by his mother, grandmother, and older sister Patricia McManus Gass (referred to in his childhood stories as "the Troll"). His family didn't have much money and lived on a small farm on the banks of Sand Creek where they grew most of their own food. They had chickens, a milk cow and pigs and went hunting and fishing.[4] After high school, McManus worked construction and other such jobs until he had saved enough money to attend Washington State College, now Washington State University. He is married to Darlene "Bun" McManus and has four daughters.
McManus wrote mostly about his outdoor adventures from his childhood with semi-fictional characters such as his old woodsman mentor Rancid Crabtree and his childhood friends Crazy Eddie Muldoon and Retch Sweeney and his dog Strange. The stories' humor is mostly based on elaborate exaggerations of his surreal adventures in the outdoors. McManus's writing is characterized by a dry wit that has drawn comparisons to Mark Twain and Robert Benchley.

As of 2014, his most recent work is Circles in the Snow, the sixth in a series of mystery novels starring the character Sheriff Bo Tully. Other departures from his column-collections include Kid Camping From Aaaaiii! To Zip (1979, an alphabetized, and partially serious, listing of useful tips and concepts for beginning campers); Whatchagot Stew (1989, both a cookbook and a less-fictionalized memoir of his childhood); and The Deer On A Bicycle (2000, a discussion of the art of humor writing.) It was announced on McManus's official website that Circles would be the last Bo Tully mystery, and that the author now considers himself retired.

Pat McManus has also written 5 separate, distinct one-man comedies for his indentured actor, Tim Behrens. Tim has toured these shows to 21 states and two provinces in more than 1600 performances since 1992. They are: A Fine and Pleasant Misery; McManus In Love; Pot Luck; Poor Again...Dagnabbit!; and Scrambled McManus.

In October 2011, an index of his stories and novels titled "Where's the One About the Bobcat?"[5] was compiled by Lauren Ball, making it easy for readers to find their favorite stories.

Patrick Francis McManus
(August 25, 1933 - April 11, 2018)

Patrick Francis McManus, beloved husband, father and New York Times bestselling author, passed away peacefully surrounded by family in Spokane. Pat was born in Sandpoint, Idaho. Often truant from his mother’s one room schoolhouse in Squaw Valley, he began a lifelong journey to find the biggest and best huckleberries. Pat loved telling stories, freshly caught fish cooked on the banks of a stream, mushroom picking and foraging for other wild foods, most of them edible. He had an enduring passion for photography and art, particularly watercolors. Book signings took Pat across the United States where he always enjoyed meeting his many fans. However, he was happiest exploring the outdoors of Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Pat was fortunate to have a varied career from newspaper reporter, feature news writer for local television, English and journalism professor at EWU, columnist for Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines, author of 5 plays and 24 books.

Pat is survived by Darlene (Bun), his best friend and wife of 64 years, daughters Kelly, Shannon, Peggy and Erin, 9 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. He will be greatly missed by his family and his many friends including Rancid Crabtree, Retch, Crazy Eddy, the Troll, Bo Tully, and Daisy.

Private funeral service at the family's request. In lieu of gift fish, donations may be made to Hospice of Spokane.∼Well known outdoor writer and humorist Patrick F. McManus has passed away. McManus was from Sandpoint, Idaho and attended WSU. He was 84 years old.
Patrick F. McManus was an American author of humourous columns on the outdoors and mystery novels. His mystery novels feature his character Sheriff Bo Tully. His columns were originally written for various outdoor magazines such as Outdoor Life and Field & Stream and have been collected into various volumes. The columns consist of semi-fictitious characters and running jokes with the main themes being hunting and fishing.

Patrick F. McManus became a published author in 1978 with the collection A Fine and Pleasant Misery. His first novel was The Blight Way, which was published in 2006.
McManus was born and raised in Sandpoint, Idaho.[3] His father, who served in the 42nd ("Rainbow") Division under Douglas MacArthur during World War I, died when Patrick was six. Although his mother later remarried, for the most part he was raised by his mother, grandmother, and older sister Patricia McManus Gass (referred to in his childhood stories as "the Troll"). His family didn't have much money and lived on a small farm on the banks of Sand Creek where they grew most of their own food. They had chickens, a milk cow and pigs and went hunting and fishing.[4] After high school, McManus worked construction and other such jobs until he had saved enough money to attend Washington State College, now Washington State University. He is married to Darlene "Bun" McManus and has four daughters.
McManus wrote mostly about his outdoor adventures from his childhood with semi-fictional characters such as his old woodsman mentor Rancid Crabtree and his childhood friends Crazy Eddie Muldoon and Retch Sweeney and his dog Strange. The stories' humor is mostly based on elaborate exaggerations of his surreal adventures in the outdoors. McManus's writing is characterized by a dry wit that has drawn comparisons to Mark Twain and Robert Benchley.

As of 2014, his most recent work is Circles in the Snow, the sixth in a series of mystery novels starring the character Sheriff Bo Tully. Other departures from his column-collections include Kid Camping From Aaaaiii! To Zip (1979, an alphabetized, and partially serious, listing of useful tips and concepts for beginning campers); Whatchagot Stew (1989, both a cookbook and a less-fictionalized memoir of his childhood); and The Deer On A Bicycle (2000, a discussion of the art of humor writing.) It was announced on McManus's official website that Circles would be the last Bo Tully mystery, and that the author now considers himself retired.

Pat McManus has also written 5 separate, distinct one-man comedies for his indentured actor, Tim Behrens. Tim has toured these shows to 21 states and two provinces in more than 1600 performances since 1992. They are: A Fine and Pleasant Misery; McManus In Love; Pot Luck; Poor Again...Dagnabbit!; and Scrambled McManus.

In October 2011, an index of his stories and novels titled "Where's the One About the Bobcat?"[5] was compiled by Lauren Ball, making it easy for readers to find their favorite stories.