From time to time I have fans express their gratitude and love for Pat’s stories and ask about him, wishing him well, and wonder if there are going to be any more books coming out. I forward your letters and emails on to him. Here is the latest information I have.
In 2014 Pat announced that he would be retiring from writing and public life and his official website would no longer be maintained. Up to that time it was managed and maintained by one of his daughters, with both Pat and his wife, Darlene (or Bun as she is known in his stories) writing monthly blogs. They also offered items for sale and links to sites of interest to his fans—including The McManus Index and the one-man plays based on his stories by actor Tom Behrens, as well as lots of information for writers. Before the website closed they mentioned a desire to compile and publish the blog posts, but I haven’t heard anything more about that.
Pat stopped writing the “Exit Laughing” column for Outdoor Life in 2011 and devoted his writing efforts to the Sheriff Bo Tully mystery novels, the last of which appeared in 2014.
Also in 2014 there were a couple new stories printed in Outdoor Life, but beyond that it’s been quiet as the McManus’s are hopefully enjoying their retirement and return to private life.
Over the years I have read and re-read all of Pat’s wonderful stories. Many times the intense laughter brought tears of joy. The names of the books and Patrick McManus have been recommended to anyone who would listen to this fanatic.
A friend of mine was in the hospital with knee surgery. The book I presented to him was “The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw”. Later he told me he was reading and laughing so hard it hurt his knee and he had to wait until he got home from the hospital. When he got home, he wrote me a nice note thanking me for introducing Pat’s stories to them. He and his wife took turns reading the stories aloud to see who could finish the stories without having to stop because of their laughter.
Today I’m delivering “How I got This Way” to my neighbor with a terminal illness. I know that Pat’s great stories will cheer him up immensely.
God Bless You Pat for all the endless pleasure you’ve given to so many!
With our help spreading the word, future generations will be blessed with laughter.
Keith Chase
Massachusetts
Keith, thank you for sharing this. Pat’s stories are truly a healing gift and I hope we can all keep sharing his stories to brighten the lives of others.