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The International Brotherhood of Magicians

19 Mar

18 Deaths Reported in March 2017 Broken Wand

Category: Broken Wand   Posted by: C. DENNIS SCHICK

 BROKEN WAND -- MARCH 2017

DARYL EASTON

Daryl Easton, 61, of Auburn, California, died tragically February 24, 2017 at the Magic Castle, in Los Angeles, California, where he had been performing. His I.B.M. member number was 26200, and he had been a member since 1982. He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty five years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 192 (Sacramento, California). Formerly of Las Vegas, Nevada, he was known world-wide by his single name, Daryl. He changed his birth name of Martinez to Easton. Known as “The Magician’s Magician,” he specialized in card, rope, close-up, and parlor magic. Daryl won numerous awards, including the FISM Close-up Gold Medal in 1982. He was named the Magic Castle Parlor Magician of the Year (twice), Close-up Magician of the Year (twice), and Lecturer of the Year (twice). He was widely known and respected not only for his performing, but also for his teaching, lecturing, mentoring and inventing. Two of his biggest contributions to magic are his “Hot Shot Cut” sleight, and his “Ultimate Ambition” card trick. He leaves behind a wealth of teaching materials, including many videotapes and DVDs. Among survivors are his magician wife, Alison Easton, and daughters Laura and Annabel.    

 

TED E. EGGERS

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters was notified that Ted. E. Eggers, 57, of Stafford, Virginia, died in February, 2016. His I.B.M. membership number was 72487, and he had been a member since 2015. 

 

SULEY FATTAH

 

Suley Fattah, 53, of Toronto, Canada died January 23, 2017 from complications of a massive heart attack. He was the husband of Julie Eng, Executive Director of Magicana. He was a long-time associate of David Ben and of Magicana, where he worked primarily behind the curtain as "a mysterious figure," contributing significantly to stage productions, and also as a program coordinator for publications and community outreach programs. He was an avid French comic book collector, an artist and illustrator, and a man of many talents. He is survived by his wife of nineteen years, Julie Eng; and his parents, Ayda and Faruk Fattah. Memorial contributions may be made to the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation, R. Fraser Elliott Building, 5th Floor, 190 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, ON Canada M5G 2C4.

 

TOM S. GOLABEK


Dr. Tom S. Golabek, 70, of The Villages, Florida, died February 7, 2017. He was a former member of the I.B.M. He also was a member of Ring 45 (Miami, Florida) and Ring 258 (Leesburg, Florida). Born and raised in Yonkers, New York, he was a U.S. Navy veteran, serving in Vietnam, 1964-1969. He earned a B.A. from Lehman College, a M.A. from Fairleigh Dickinson University, and a Ph.D from the University of the Pacific.  He worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for twenty-seven years, retiring in 2003. He performed magic mostly for friends, family. and his two Rings. His two favorite acts were “Stash,” the magician Poland was happy to get rid of, and “The Great Tombino.” He produced and sold a DVD on how to perform tricks with poker chips. In addition to magic, his other hobby love was poker. He played in eleven World Series of Poker events and a World Poker Tour Main Event. He wrote seven Mike “Maddog” Maddock Detective mystery novels. Survivors include his wife Myrna; stepchildren Dr. Suzy Smith, Robert Davis, and Adam Smith; and granddaughter Rachel Davis. Memorial contributions may be made to the ALS Association. A Broken Wand Ceremony was held at his memorial service. 

 

RICHARD E. GOLDSHOT

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters was notified that Richard E. Goldshot, 70, of Dayton, Ohio, died September 7, 2016. His I.B.M. member number was 24598, and he had been a member since 1971 (forty-five years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty-five years a continuous member). Survivors include his wife of forty-seven years, Penny; sister, Phyllis; sister-in-law Cheryl (Ned); brother-in-law Bob (Joan), and sister-in-law Linda Sue. 

 

ROBERT J. KELLY

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters was notified that Robert John Kelly, 61, of Empire Bay, New South Wales, Australia, died March 29, 2016. His I.B.M. membership number was 35378, and he had been a member since 1980 (thirty-six years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty-five years a continuous member). The letter informing us that he had died said he was a very proud member of the I.B.M. It was signed D. Kelly.

 

LARIN R. KERR


Rev. Larin Robert Kerr, 80, of Port Orchard, Washington, died January 28, 2017 after batting several illnesses for many years. His I.B.M. member number was 22683, and he had been a member since 1969 (forty-eight years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty-five years a continuous member). Born in Sabetha, Kansas, he grew up at Starlight Acres, the family acreage near Kansas City, Kansas. He earned a sociology degree from Ottawa (Kansas) University, and a Master’s in Religious Studies and a Master’s of Divinity from the Seminary of the West in Berkley, California. Having accepted a call to the ministry in junior high school, he went on to serve many churches and in the mission field the rest of his life. His mission work primarily was with American Indians, including the Hopi, the Navajo, the Crow, and the Kiowa people. His Indian name was Tow-gyah-awyn-t’ahgyah (He who speaks good words.) He also served Baptist churches in Indiana, Delaware, Montana, Idaho, and Oklahoma. Larin performed magic at hospitals, prisons, conventions, churches, and for family and friends over the years. He used magic in his sermons, and wherever he could to not only emphasize messages, but to bring smiles, laughter, and wonder. Survivors include his wife of over fifty-nine years, Julia; children Kathi (Steven) Kerr-Taylor; David (Sharon), Susan (Joseph) Higbee, Dale (Donna), and Gregory (Suzanne); eighteen grandchildren; twenty-seven great-grandchildren; brother Rev. Ronald (Natalie), and sister Rebecca (Paul) Campbell. Memorial contributions may be made to: St. Labre Indian School, 1000 Tongue River Road, Ashland, MT 59003 www.stlabre.org, or Rainy Mountain Kiowa Indian Baptist Church, Aim-De-Co Road, P.O. Box 177. Mountain View, OK 73062 (580) 347-2413. 

 

EDWARD R. LISICKI


Edward Richard “Les” Lisicki, 77, of Las Vegas, Nevada, died January 18, 2017. His I.B.M. membership number was 64557, and he had been a member since 2004 (thirteen years). He was a member of Ring 257 (Las Vegas, Nevada). Born in Carteret, New Jersey, he served honorably in the U.S. Army, and retired from MetLife. In addition to being very active in Ring 257, he also was active in the Knights of Columbus, several car clubs, and was a twenty-five-year reader of Christ the King Catholic Community. Survivors include children Karen Feeney, and Kevin (Michele); grandchildren Jonathan, Kelsey, Victoria, and Kyle; brothers George and Robert; and sister Patricia Guyre. Memorial contributions may be made to the CTK Manna Cupboard, Christ the King Catholic Church, 4925 S. Torrey Pines Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89118. 

 

STEVEN R. MAMCHAK, JR.


Rev. Steven Robert Mamchak, Jr., 77, of West Long Branch, New Jersey, died December 5, 2016. His I.B.M. membership number was 20947, and he had been a member since 1982 (thirty-four years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 123 (Middleton, New Jersey). In addition to performing magic, he was a collector of all things magic. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, he retired from Middletown Township’s Thompson Middle School, where he taught Seventh Grade English, drama, and media for thirty-five years. He was the Governor’s Teacher of the Year. He was a prolific writer. With his wife he wrote twenty books on education; he co-authored with Russ Scalzo a Christian trilogy; and alone he wrote seven more mystery and poetry books. But his first love was the theater, both acting and directing -- more than two hundred plays. He also founded an acting troupe which performed throughout New Jersey. He also founded Ezekiel’s Wheels of Long Branch, a salvaged food distribution network. Always thinking ahead, he donated his body to the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School for research, per his wishes. Surviving is his wife of fifty-two years, Susan. Memorial contributions may be made to Ezekiel’s Wheel of Long Branch, 220 Sycamore Ave., Shrewsbury, NJ 07702. 

 

CHARLES E. MILLARD

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters was notified that Charles Edwin Millard, 68, of Edgetts Landing, New Brunswick, Canada, died July 25, 2016. His I.B.M. membership number was 61351, and he had been a member since 2000 (sixteen years). Born in Kingston, Ontario, he worked in the service industry for over thirty years, with Xerox. Following retirement, he continued to work, both as a church custodian, and for a printing firm. He loved entertaining people as “Choctaw the Clown,” and was involved in clowning for almost four decades. In addition to clowning and magic, he loved the outdoors and nature, including all water sports, roller skating, cross country skiing and bird watching. He also was a photographer. Survivors include his wife, Paula; sons Robert (Cathy) and Andrew (Amanda); grandchildren Julia, Katie, Savanah, Liam and Ella; step-children Tanya Minter, and Steven Lawson; step-grandchildren, Marina, Ryan, Danny, and Samantha; step-great-granddaughter, Brookelynn; and brother, David. Memorial contributions may be made to the Valley Baptist Church, 3039 Main Street, Hillsborough, New Brunswick, Canada EOA 1XO

 

ROGER MONTANDON


Roger Montandon, 99, of Bixby, Oklahoma, died January 21, 2017. His I.B.M. membership number was 5124 and he had been a member since 1941 -- seventy-six years! He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excelsior (sixty years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 2100 (the Universe). Born in Galveston, Texas, his family settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma when his father got a job with the city in 1927. He became interested in magic as a youngster, and at age fifteen a friend taught him to juggle. While attending Oklahoma A&M, he was part of a traveling entertainment troupe. Graduating as an electrical engineer, he joined Wait Manufacturing Company, where he stayed until he retired. Logan Wait was a prominent local magician, and Roger became his assistant. When he realized no magic magazine was paying attention to juggling, he started a juggling newsletter -- “The Juggler’s Bulletin” -- in 1944, and later invited jugglers to meet after the 1947 I.B.M. convention to form their own group. He is given credit for helping start the International Juggling Association. After retiring he settled on forty acres on the Snake River, just south of Tulsa, Oklahoma. 

 

JACK S. NANCE, JR.


Jack Stanford Nance, Jr., 83, of Lorton, Virginia, died January 23, 2017. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1977-2013, thirty-six years). He was member of the Order of Member Shield (thirty five years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 50 (Washington, D.C.), of which he was a past president, and from which he received it’s Sabar Award for dedicated service. Born in Washington, D.C., he received degrees from George Washington University and the University of Indiana. He served in the U.S. Navy for two years as an aerial photographer, and worked as an administrator at the Institutes of Health, 1962 to 1993, retiring as the Deputy Executive Administrator of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. In addition to magic, his interests included traveling, senior softball, and Civil War history. After retiring, he volunteered at the Manassas National Battlefield Park for over fourteen years. His body was donated to the Georgetown University School of Medicine for research. Survivors include his wife of sixty years, Dorothy; daughters Linda (Tom) Roof, and Leslie (Craig) Wheelan; and grandchildren Mathew and Johnathan Roof. Memorial contributions may be made to Burke Presbyterian Church, 5690 Oak Leather Drive, Burke, VA 22015.

 

 

JAMES F. NEVISON


James Franklin Nevison, 96, of Ennis, Texas, died January 25, 2017. His I.B.M. number was 34784, and he had been a member since 1979 (thirty-eight years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Shield (thirty-five years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 174 (Dallas, Texas), of which he was a past president. As a youngster Jim saw his first magician, (later including Thurston) and magic became a life-long passion. He performed magic for neighborhood kids, charging two cents a head. After college he enlisted in the Coast Guard during World War II, serving on an escort ship. He performed magic shows for fellow sailors. He met his wife, Doris, a Captain in the Women’s Army Corps, and they married after only three dates. (She died after sixty-six years of marriage.) After the war, he negotiated government contracts for an aircraft electronics distributor, as well as taught business courses at local colleges. He spent ninety years performing magic on five continents and in forty-nine states. He is best known for his “Bounce-No-Bounce Balls.” In 1949 a Gates Rubber Company sales rep showed him some balls; one would bounce and the other would not. Jim saw the magic possibilities and brought them to Paul Diamond and the rest is history. Survivors include his daughter, Barbara (Richard) Lewis; granddaughter Jamie (Donny) Loughry, and their children Olivia and Boston; and grandson Matthew (Rachel) Lewis, and their son, David. A Broken Wand ceremony was conducted in his honor.

 

DAVID P. SIEJA


David P. Sieja, 86, of Perrysburg, Ohio, died February 1, 2017. His I.B.M. membership number was 19629, and he had been a member since 1964 (fifty-three years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin Excalibur (fifty years a continuous member). He also was a member of Ring 68 (Toledo, Ohio), Ring 205 (Lima/Findlay, Ohio), the Society of American Magicians, and the Clowns of America International. Born in Toledo, Ohio, he was a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and worked thirty-two years at Ameritech. Survivors include his wife, Marion; daughter, Dorothy Mills; son, David; grandchildren Justina (Matt), Kenneth, Adam (Christine), and Kaytlyn; and great-grandchildren, Riley and Nicholas.   

 

EDWARD W. THOMAS


Edward W. Thomas, 67, of Los Angeles, California, died January 28, 2017 from a heart attack as he was battling influenza. His I.B.M. membership number was 46273, and he had been a member since 1990 (twenty-seven years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty five years a continuous member). He also was a member and past national president of the Society of American Magicians. He was a major player in S.A.M. national affairs for many years. He also was member of the Academy of Magical Arts (Magic Castle), and was awarded the A.I.M.C. with Silver Star by the Magic Circle. He became interested in magic at age ten when he got his first magic set. By the fifth grade he was performing neighborhood shows, as well as at birthday parties, talent shows, and for friends. In addition to being a magician, he also was an actor, performing mostly in playhouses and community theaters throughout Southern California. His day job was as the Membership Director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, an organization whose purpose is to protect Proposition 13 in California, as well as taxpayer rights in general.

 

BO K. E. THOMASSON

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters was notified that Bo Karl Eric Thomasson, 81, of Eslov, Sweden, died September 26, 2012. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1976-2002 -- twenty-six years). He was a member of the Order of Merlin (twenty-five years a continuous member). He also was a member of the Swedish Magic Circle and a local magic circle. He was a semiprofessional artist, as both a magician and a ventriloquist. He produced his own magic items and ventriloquist dolls. Over the years he created dozens of them. He was very good at using his voice and he was a good imitator. He made many appearances on Swedish television. He also was a good cartoonist and produced numerous books with cartoons. All his dolls and magic items were donated to a museum in his hometown.                                              Thorbjorn Holmqvist  

 

WILLIE G. VASSER


Magician Willie Gene Vasser, 65, of St. Louis, Missouri, died December 21, 2016. A Broken Wand ceremony was conducted in his honor and memory, after his funeral at Compton Hill Missionary Baptist Church.

 

THOMAS A. WILKINSON

 

Recently the I.B.M. Headquarters was notified that Thomas Anthony Wilkinson, 82, of Morris, Illinois, died December 28, 2015 at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, Illinois. His I.B.M. member number was 50314, and he had been a member since 1993 (twenty-two years). He also was a member of the Society of American Magicians. Born in Beloit, Wisconsin, he earned a Master’s Degree from Northern Illinois University. He was a U.S. Army veteran, and a retired high school teacher. As a magician, his performing name was “Mistini.” In addition to magic, he loved collecting watches and other time pieces. Survivors at the time of his death included his wife, Mary; brother-in-law Leroy (Cathy) Haenze; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church, Morris, or the Illinois Veterans’ Home, Quincy, Illinois.

 

END 

 


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