Ruth Ann (Fonda) Pitts Ruth Ann Pitts
of Fort Smith, Arkansas passed away on December 22, 2011 following a brief
illness. Ruth Ann Taylor was born January 19, 1928; she lived in the Saratoga,
NY area for many years and was a graduate from Ballston Spa High School. Ruth
moved to Scotia, NY in 1959 when she married Clark Fonda, who pre-deceased her
in 1998. Ruth and Clark were professional magicians, known as "The Fabulous
Fondas" who performed locally and traveled extensively throughout the world on
many cruise ships. She was also a popular and talented solo magician, and
enjoyed the unofficial title of "Goddess of Gaslight Village" in Lake George.
Ruth was an active member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM)
and the Society of American Magicians (SAM), and was an avid bowler and talented
artist. Ruth married Bill Pitts in 2000, and relocated to Fort Smith, Arkansas
where she enjoyed many years performing magic shows with Bill throughout the
country, and being very active in their church and American Legion Auxiliary
organizations. Ruth is survived by her husband, Bill Pitts, of Fort Smith, AR;
her four loving daughters: Janice Baird of Ballston Spa, NY; Patricia Fonda of
Briarwood, NY; Susan Dunbar of Galway, NY; and Jo Newell of Amherst, NH. She is
also survived by her step brother, Willis White; seven grandchildren: Jeremy
Baird, Jeffery Baird, Jason Baird, Jessica Creter, Adam Dunbar, Anjelica Newell,
and Sam Newell; and five great grandchildren: Andrew Baird, Collin Baird, Hayden
Cahill, Mattingly Creter, and Sebastian Creter, as well as numerous step
children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Ruth was an eternal optimist
who kept her focus on the bright side of life, and frequently quoted, "the show
must go on!" Memorial Service to celebrate Ruth's life will be held on Monday
December 26, 2011 Calling hours 10 AM Memorial Service at 11 at Christ Episcopal
Church 15 West High St. Ballston Spa, NY 12020
Published
in The Saratogian on December 24, 2011
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Haglund, Leo Gunnar 83 March 24, 1928 Nov. 25, 2011 Leo is survived by Willamae, his best friend an loving wife of 62 years; sons, Lee and Linn, their wives, Trudy and Deby; and grandchildren, Gunnar, Samantha and Olivia. An avid snow-skier, woodworker, swimmer, boater and magician, Leo enjoyed Timberline Lodge, was a longtime member of Multnomah Athletic Club, Hayden Island Yacht Club, The Society of American Magicians, and the Masonic Lodge. Memorials may be made to the charity of your choice . Private committal services held at Willamette National Cemetery. By Leo's request a "party" will be at the Beaverton Elks, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2011, at 2 p.m.
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Ed died
peacefully on Saturday, October 8, 2011, at the age of 82. He was born in Pine Grove, WV on October 18,
1928. He proudly served our country in the U.S. Army and worked as an
electrician in the diesel shop at National Steel in Weirton, WV, for 32 years.
Ed was a magician for
60 years and did clowning for 33 years.
His clown name was Kirk the Magic Clown.
His interest in magic started at age 16 with a neighbor buying magic and
Ed reading how to do it and teaching the neighbor’s son. He loved entertaining children. No matter where he went, he carried magic in
his pocket. He was also a great balloon
maker and carried some balloons with him wherever he was. He donated his time for the Cancer Society,
Heart Association, and nursing homes. He
helped start many people in Magic. He
was a member of the Mystic Magicians of Beaver Valley, PA (Assembly #157), the
International Brotherhood of Magicians 28366m, Masonic Lodge 22 of New
Cumberland, and the World Clown Association
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The Society of American Magicians joins the world of magic in mourning the death of William (Bill) Andrews, Past National President of the S.A.M.
Bill was a phenomenal ambassador for the S.A.M., promoting the highest standards of professionalism, while investing himself in the lives of up and coming entertainers in the SYM, and serving as the consummate encourager to those who were blessed to be touched by him.
The NACM competition held in Pittsburgh last week at the S.A.M. 2011 Conference was dedicated to Bill Andrews. His presence will be greatly missed, but his legacy will live on through the lives of those he dramatically influenced.
Vinny Grosso, M.I. National President
Rev. Michael Douglass, PNP
National Chaplain
INFORMATION ABOUT MEMORIAL SERVICE:
Saturday, July 23, 2011. 2:00 PM
Villa Maria School is located in Stamford, Connecticut, five minutes north
of the Merritt Parkway. It is one hour north of New York City, 30 minutes
west of White Plains, and approximately an hour’s drive from Hartford.
From the Merritt Parkway
Take Exit 35. Turn left; travel two miles north on High Ridge Road (bear
right at fork). Turn left onto Sky Meadow Drive. Villa Maria is located at
the top of the hill on the right. Use the driveway on the west (far) side of
the property.
From Pound Ridge, New York
Take Route 137 (High Ridge Road) south to Stamford. Turn right onto Sky
Meadow Drive, about 1.3 miles south of the Long Ridge Fire Department.
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Hank Moorehouse, Past National President, and iconic influencer and promoter of the art of magic around the world, has died in China while on tour with a troop performing close-up magic.
There are few details at this time, and with the American Embassy in China being closed over the holiday weekend, more information will not be available until later next week.
Our National Convention in Pittsburgh has long been planned to honor Hank and celebrate his life. According to S.A.M. Ambassador Brad Jacobs, P.N.P., Jackie Moorehouse has requested that the Convention proceed with a celebration of Hank's life.
Hank's incredible vision, international network of magicians, and tremendous creativity helped shape and propel the S.A.M. into the 21st Century. We honor him as a Compeer, Past National President, and of course, the long-time Executive Producer of our Convention shows and lectures.
With heavy hearts, but grateful for his friendship, and blessed by his artistry,
Mark Weidhaas, National President
Rev. Michael Douglass, P.N.P, National Chaplain
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Kim
M. Zimmerman, 56, of Orangeville, IL passed away Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at St.
Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, IL. Kim was born February 10,1955 in
Freeport, IL to Raymond and Cheryl Zimmerman.
After high school of
Illinois School for the Deaf in Jacksonville, IL (Class of 1975), He attended
National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, NY in 1975 to 1978 to
studied the architectural. He worked for a small architectural business
for five years. Kim then worked at O'Hare International Airport as a mailer
handler from 1984 until retiring in 2010. Kim and his brother, Dean, then
moved to Orangeville from Wheeling, IL. He loves his Dalmatians: Donnie,
Max, and Angel, who was deaf. Kim was interested in many things including
reading, history, travel and many different parts of the world.
Kim was a
member of the SAM and IBM since 1976, collage time. He was a Life Member
(#82) of SAM and IBM.
He is survived by one sister, Rae Helland of Juda,
WI and one brother, Dean of Orangeville, IL; a nephew Troy Helland of Palmetto,
FL, Kristi Helland, Monroe, WI and Aunt Shirley Kleckler of Winslow, IL.
Numerours cousins.
Kim was preceded in death by his parents and his three
beloved dogs: Donnie, Max, and Angel.
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HOLYOKE
– Sidney H. Radner, an amateur magician who built one of the world’s
largest collections of Harry Houdini memorabilia died Sunday at the age
of 91. The New York Times is reporting the cause of death was cancer. He died in his hometown of Holyoke.
Radner was the president of the American Rug Company of Holyoke, which
was started by his father and is being operated by his son today. He became fascinated with magic at the age of 9 when he read a book
about it. He later became proficient at escaping from handcuffs and
straight jackets. He also became an expert on gambling and cheating and
often lectured on how to identify crooked gamblers.
By the time Radner was 16, the Holyoke boy was billing himself as
“America’s Foremost Juvenile Escape Artist.” That same year, 1935,
Sidney met Harry Houdini’s brother Hardeen at the Kimball Hotel in
downtown Springfield.
Republican file photoThis device used to pick locks by Harry Houdini was part of Radner's collection. Hardeen took him under his wing and he either gave or sold Radner some of
Houdini’s equipment including the famous Chinese water torture cell, several straitjackets, handcuffs, letters and photographs.
One of Radner’s more recent projects was
to create an interactive museum at 147 High Street in Holyoke. About
four years ago Radner started working with a Mount Holyoke College
student on the project. Radner had sold much of his about 1,000-piece collection at auction for
about $1 million, but he did keep some of the items that he had
acquired.
He had been married to Helen Cohen Radner for 64 years until she died in March. The couple had two sons.
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Dr. Leonard
J. Elmer, Sr., retired dentist, born in Hammond, Louisiana on 8 May 1917, and a
native of New Orleans, La died on 6 June 2011 after complications following
open heart surgery. His death was
unexpected and he had anticipated taking trips to Russia, Dallas, Orlando and
Las Vegas with his family this summer. His will to live life to the fullest was
exemplified in his daily activities and involvement in the community.
He was a
graduate of Jesuit High School (1933) and Loyola University (1938). He was a full-time instructor in Loyola
University Dental School from 1938-1942.
He was attending medical school prior to being pulled to teach dentistry
full-time during WWII.
He served in
the Army Dental Corps in World War II (1942-1946) and was stationed overseas in
India and the South Pacific. He was in
private practice in New Orleans from 1946-1950
and entered the U.S. Air Force at the outbreak of the Korean war in
1950. During his active duty military
experience, he met his wife, Beverly Kathleen Elmer, and married her in
1959. He decided to the make service a career and
retired from the USAF in 1967. While
active duty, he was head of the dental clinic at McCoy AFB in Orlando, Florida
and also the dentist assigned to a select B-29 squadron during WWII. He, in fact, was recently interviewed by the
National World War II Museum to discuss his dental service during this time
period.
He devoted
himself to his two children and his wife, Beverly (also a USAF officer (nurse))
and was the epitome of what a father should be.
He was a
life member of the New Orleans, Louisiana and American Dental
Associations.
His
life-long interest in conjuring kept him very active and engaged in magic. He was a member of The Society of American
Magicians and the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM). He has been awarded the Order of Merlin
Excelsior (for those members with over 60 years of membership; he had 65) by
the IBM. He also recently reunited with Ring 27 of New Orleans. He was known as an avid photographer and has
gone to great lengths to get the “perfect shot”. He took his camera wherever he went and loved
taking pictures of his family.
He is
survived by his devoted and grateful children: daughter Dr. Kathleen B. Elmer
and son, Leonard J. Elmer, Jr. He has a sister,
Mary Alice Long (currently residing in California) and 3 granddaughters: Sarah K. Parks, Rachel C. Elmer, Stephanie L.
Elmer.
Visitation
and Chapel Mass will be held at Lakelawn Funeral Home in Metarie, La, and
internment will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio,
Texas.
He loved his
wife dearly and her loss in 2007 affected him profoundly. Despite his loss, he continued to care for
his granddaughter, Sarah, with whom he lived and shared his wisdom and love for
life and magic with her. His loss cannot
be measured and his contribution to his family is profound. His
legacy of love, life and gusto for making every day count are remembered by his
actions.
Visitation
will be held at Lakelawn Funeral Home in Metarie, La (Monday, 13 June, 0900-1100) with Mass to
follow. He will be interred at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San
Antonio, Texas at 1pm on Wed, 15 June.
In lieu of flowers, Masses are preferred.
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(from the Star Advertiser)
Longtime island magician Bobby Acoba entertained thousands of visitors and locals in Hawaii, even taking his unique skills to Japan to teach his tricks there. But perhaps his greatest skill, said fellow magician Curtis Kam, was doing a trick without appearing to.
"He would have someone choose a card and give the deck to someone else, and they would find it," Kam said. "It would be like he wasn't doing anything."
Acoba, the bartender and magician at the former Aaron's Atop the Ala Moana, Sarento's Top of the "I" and other bars and nightclubs, died May 13 at age 71. Visitation and services will be Friday and Saturday at Borthwick Mortuary.
As a bartender magician, Acoba performed what is known as "close-up" magic, meaning the tricks are performed right in front of patrons, making the tricks even more astounding.
Acoba's eldest daughter, Jodee Acoba-Suganuma, said he would practice his tricks in front of her to refine his skills, repeating them to the point where she now says, "I'm not a magic fan, because I knew all the tricks."
Still, there was one trick she could not figure out. She would choose a card from a deck that he had fanned face-out at her. Then he would name the card. "I thought he was looking at my eyes, so I would look somewhere else," she said. "But he always knew."
Acoba's trickery with cash also confounded customers. According to a 1994 Star-Bulletin story, he once convinced a customer that he had torn up a $100 bill, then repaired the tears. The man pulled out his own $100 bill, tore it up and said, "OK, Mr. Magic Man, let's see you make that whole again."
"Sorry, but I haven't learned that one yet," Acoba said, sending the man off in search of tape to fix the bill.
Acoba-Suganuma said her father entertained such celebrities as Carol Burnett and Jim Nabors and was in demand at private parties. "He was a people person," she said, adding that he was generous almost to a fault, donating his talents to charity and helping co-workers.
Robert Acoba was born in Makawao, Maui and attended Waipahu High School. He was a bartender at the Ilikai Hotel when he started going to a local magic shop to learn some tricks to perform for bar patrons.
"He was especially good at improvising," Kam said. "You'd learn to do a trick a certain way — like a card is supposed to be in the deck — but maybe it would be in someone's pocket, or somewhere else that not even he knew when he started the trick."
Acoba was invited to Japan about 10 years ago for a convention of bar magicians, said Glen Bailey, president of the Hawaii chapter of the Society of American Magicians, in an email. "The 200 Japanese Bar Tender Magicians were so amazed by his magic that no one thought he was really a bartender," he said.
"Bobby was very humble about his magical skills and always gave credit for his magical effects to the customers, making them feel they created the magic and he really was just as amazed as they were."
Visitation at Borthwick Mortuary will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, with a service at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, with a service at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at 1 p.m. at Hawaiian Memorial Park.
Besides Acoba-Suganuma, Acoba is survived by wife Rosie; mother Katie; brothers Edwardo and David; children Jon Thomas, Riley Lewis, Corey Ramon, Christine Rose; and a grandson.
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( May 15, 1918- May 17, 2011)
Former S.A.M Treasurer for more
than 20 years, John Connelly died a few days after his 93rd birthday. David Goodsell described him very well..”The quiet men of magic are most admirable.
Invariably they are the ones who have done it in the past….the quiet men merely
smile and lend encouragement to the
“talkers””. Though small
in stature John was large in
wisdom, spirit and
accomplishment. During WWII he
performed more than 2000 volunteer USO shows. He started with a Gilbert Mysto Magic set in 1929 after seeing and experiencing the “Blackstone
Show” in Lynn MA where lived all of his life . He played nightclubs and club dates with a 12-minute
pantomime act. He joined Assembly No. 9 in Boston in 1948. He had a small mail order business and
decided that the “security of a real job” was called for so he went into civil service as a postal clerk
. In 1965 his interest in ESP and parapsychology
led him away from manipulations and he developed a 40
minute lecture which took him to Japan where he became the first American
performer to appear on Japanese TV. In 1969
he was appointed by the National President of the S.A.M as Treasurer. He was a dedicated man and was most responsible
for developing the Witch City Assembly in. Salem, Ma. John Connelly was a Life Member and
Honorary Member and since he never married he always considered the S.A. M as
his family. We will miss our brother.
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