Wildlife author dies doing what he loves

By KELLYN BROWN Chronicle Staff Writer

BELGRADE - Anna Proper stood out her back door overlooking a sprawl of 60 acres south of Belgrade, which she and her late husband bought in 1987.

"Sometimes he grabbed me and gave me a big hug," Proper said. "He then pointed and said, 'Do you see that?'"

He showed her wildlife, trees and plants, which blanket the couple's property.

That was Datus Proper's way: to pay attention to detail. And, with wit and charm, he shared nature's details with his family, friends and readers.

Datus drowned Sunday evening while fishing Hyalite Creek. An author of four books, Datus also was a regular contributor to Field & Stream magazine and a former U.S. diplomat. He was 69.

He grew up in Yellowstone National Park, before driving his Indian motorcycle to Cornell University in New York to get a degree in English. He then served in the Foreign Service in Angola, Brazil, Portugal and Ireland, where he met Anna.

Monday, Anna and friends of Datus huddled in the author's office, where many of his books line the shelves and antique fly rods -- along with several flies -- hang on the wall for display.

"He loved the outdoors, children and his dogs," said longtime family friend Tammie Jaumotte. "He had a lot of dignity. He had an aura around him that was so different from other people."

David King, who called Datus his best friend, said the writer "worked at every sentence, so each was packed with extra layers of thought."

Along with fishing books, Datus wrote about pheasants and a travel guide for Portugal dubbed, "The Last Old Place."

He trained German shorthair pointers and two of his old dogs, Huck and Trooper, are buried on his land under a tree next to a winding stream.

Anna said Datus often fished the stream called Thompson's Creek, but he referred to it as Humidity Creek in his writings.

"He never went to a stream and said I want to catch a lot of fish," Anna said. "Instead, he just loved figuring out what the fish were taking."

King, who was fishing with Datus on Sunday when the author apparently slipped on the rocks on Hyalite Creek and drowned in the shallow water, said he didn't see what happened.

"My best guess is he slipped on the rocks and hit his head," King said.

While standing out her back door, Anna said every time she begins to cry about losing Datus she remembers the last thing he was doing.

"That's what I think about," Anna said. "That when he died he was doing what he loved."

Datus Proper finished a rough copy of a book on hunting before he died. His wife, Anna, said she is hoping to publish the writer's fifth book. Along with Anna, Datus leaves behind a son Scott Proper, 26, who is attending Oregon State University.

Reader Comments