Broken wand: Harold Black

From the Ring 17 newsletter:

We are sad to report the passing of one of our members, Harold Black, passed away Wednesday at the age of 89. He joined the club in 1949 (as reported in the Linking Ring by then secretary Bruce Posgate.) He was a lifetime member, who as the club librarian and was the president in 1974-75. While health concerns kept him from attending club meetings in recent years, he was actively involved in the magic community in Toronto and performed as a magician and a clown for decades.

Read more.

From The Star:

BLACK, Harold E. (Buster) - Past Patron, Eastern Star (Scarborough Chapter 231), Masonic Lodge (Coronati 520), IOF (Court Futura), Hat & Rabbit Association - Linking Ring 17 (Kambla the Magician), Circus Fans Association (Buster the Clown), CN Railway - 37 years service (Blackie). After a recent leg amputation, at the age of 89 Harold peacefully passed away at Scarborough General Hospital on November 20, 2013 with his loving family by his side.  

Read more.

Broken wand: Gilles Fontaine

From Magician.org:

J.L. GILLES FONTAINE

The I.B.M. Headquarters recently was notified that J.L. Gilles Fontaine, 86, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, died September 19, 2012. Born in Quebec City, he was the son of a banker, and became one himself. At age ten he saw a performance by Harry Blackstone, Sr. and it inspired him to take up magic as a hobby, collecting magic books, subscribing to magic magazines, and practicing for hours. He became "Gilles the Magician," and performed for children and senior citizens whenever and wherever he could. He even taught magic at a local elementary school.

Read more.

[via The Linking Ring, Vol 93, #10, October 2013]

Broken wand: Robert Barna

From Henry Walser:

Barna, Robert A (Barney):

Robert Alexander Barna passed away peacefully on Thursday September 5th, 2013 in Kitchener, Ontario at the age of 54.

Barney was a gifted magician entertaining many with Merlin at birthday parties, special events, local restaurants sharing his charm and wit through his mystifying card tricks and illusions.
He is survived by his children, Jaryd and Jacklyn and their mother Karen, his parents Eugene and Marie of Leamington, his siblings: Peter (Jeannine), Jean (Kip Brown), Paul, David (Joanne), Terry (Sharon), Kevin, Debbie (Bob Richardson).

Read more.

There is also a nice rememberance in the most recent issue of the CAM publication, Northern Peeks on page 19 "The Final Curtain."

Broken wand: Ray Parker

From the Times Colonist:

PARKER, Raymond May 25, 1929 - July 15, 2013 Ray passed away peacefully at the Royal Jubilee Hospice, surrounded by his family. Born in Wolverhampton, England, Ray, a noted entertainer, performed his first show at the age of eleven as a puppeteer. He soon expanded his skills to include acting, clowning, mime, dance, singing, and stand-up comedy. At the age of eighteen, while in the British armed forces, he performed in East Africa, while serving as a Royal Engineer. During this time, he developed an impersonation act, which led to theatre, BBC television, and radio engagements. In 1965, Ray and his young family immigrated to Canada, where his career continued to flourish. Ray's acts included his children as a family of clowns, performing vaudevillian slapstick comedy. At the age of 50, Ray fell in love with magic, and thrilled his audiences with yet another dazzling talent.


Read more.

“@canadasmagic: Broken wand: Ray Parker http://t.co/smzm4jYzek”. will be greatly missed.
— Brian Matlin (@bmat10) September 30, 2013

Broken wand: Daniel McIlroy

From Obits for Life:

DANIEL ROBERT McILROY (Retired TTC Driver, Member of Bobcaygeon Baseball and Dunsford Food Bank volunteer) Entered into rest suddenly on Saturday, January 28, 2012. Dan was the beloved husband of the late Rose Ann (nee Carter). Loving father of Robbyn (Terry Moore), John (Dorothy), Donald (Nuala), Kimberly, and David. The loved uncle of Edgar "Eddie" Tonna. Dear companion of Shirley Read. Adored grandfather of Krystal Rose, Kati (Lauren Hassard), Devlin, Hilary, Shane, Monica, Michael, and Jack. Cherished great grandfather of Camdyn, Caleb, and Grace. Predeceased by his sister Irene. He was a chivalrous gentleman, a magician, a family man, who always had a fantastic story or joke to tell. He loved the theater, symphony, crosswords, old movies, sports and relaxing with his family at the cottage. He was notorious for showering his grandchildren with toys and cookies.

Read more.

[via The Linking Ring, Vol 93, #8, August 2013]

Broken wand: Danny Kerr

We were notified by Dennis Schick, the editor of the Broken Wand in the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring, of the passing of Danny Kerr.

A broken wand ceremony will be conducted privately by the Edmonton Fellowship of Magicians in August 2013.


From The Edmonton Journal:

KERR, Danny Stephen

Our beloved Danny passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loving family on July 27, 2013.

He was born August 23, 1943 to Nettie and Roy Kerr. He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Victoria Armstrong, siblings Joe (Karen) Kerr and Lynda (John) Williams, stepdaughters Willow (Jonathan) Schnell and Heather (Michael) Hanrahan, and grandchildren Benjamin Schnell, Samuel Schnell and Abigail Hanrahan.

A Celebration of Danny's Life will be held at St. Albert United Church, 20 Green Grove Drive, St. Albert, Alberta on Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 1:00 p.m., with Rev James Ravenscroft officiating.

Read more.

Broken wand: Luis Cheng

From the Linking Ring:

Luis Peclian Cheng, 74, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, died January 18, 2013. His I.B.M. number was 63070, and he had been a member since 2002. He was a member of Ring 92 (Vancouver). He was born in the Philippines. He married his wife and they moved to Canada in 1969. He worked as a millwright for decades, and retired in his 60s. He enjoyed the magic and social aspects of the Vancouver Magic Circle. He often performed as the “famous” Fu Ling Yu, magician and comedian, from Beijing, China. He also enjoyed line dancing, Chinese painting and calligraphy, karaoke, and playing pool. Among survivors are his wife of forty-three years,Felisa; daughters Yvonne (Quan), and Raquel (Hoai), and four grandchildren.

Read more.

Broken wand: Charles Peterson

From the Linking Ring:

Charles (Chuck) Gilbert Peterson, 60, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, died March 6, 2013 after a long battle with cancer. His I.B.M. member number was 36840 and he had been a member since 2011. His life work was to help people with disabilities since he was blind most of his life. He was a social worker, working for the Government of Alberta for people with special needs and disabilities. He demonstrated with his own life that even with a disability you could do almost anything. He loved to cook, bake, sew costumes, and paint pictures, in addition to doing magic (which he did for small parties, birthday parties, and special events. He also played guitar and banjo, and was a real cowboy. He was active in the gay community and equal rights. Survivors include his husband, Dale; step-children Johnathan, Joshua (Katrina), sister Pauline, and father-in-law, Mike. Memorial contributions may be made in his name to the Cross Cancer Institute,11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G1Z2 

 Read more.

From the Edmonton Journal:

June 14, 1952 - March 6, 2013

On March 6, 2013 Charles (Chuck) Peterson passed away from a long and lengthy battle with cancer at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton, Alberta at the age of 60 years.

He will be sadly missed and remembered by his husband Dale, stepchildren; Johnathan, Joshua, wife Katrina, sister Pauline, father-in- law Mike, mother-in-law (Deceased) Jane, niece Jackie, great niece Lori, nephew Cody as well as numerous relatives and loving friends.

Read more.

Broken Wand: William Anderson

Recently we were notified by Dennis Schick, the editor of the Broken Wand in the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring, of the passing of William Anderson. Dennis is graciously allowing me to pass this on to you.
 

Dennis also pointed out that the more ALL of us share news and information about magic with the REST of us, the better off the entire magic community will be.
 

I take this opportunity to ask you to not just ASSUME that we already know about some magic news that YOU hear about. Please tell us about it. We would always rather hear some news SEVERAL times rather than not at all!

-----

WILLIAM J. ANDERSON

The I.B.M. Headquarters recently learned that William J. (Bill) Anderson, 83, of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, died July 29, 2012 of cancer. His member number was 63254, and he had been a member since 2002. He became interested in magic as a teenager, and it became a life-long hobby. He was literally a jack of all trades, from a master plumber and welder, to a carpenter and furniture and antique restorer, He and his wife lived and traveled throughout Canada and the United States over their almost sixty-four years of marriage. Survivors include his wife, Phyllis; children Richard, Heather (Alex) Chiong, and Judith (Mike) Meyer; and grandchildren, Nora, Mark and Tina.

 

Broken wand: Andrew Philip

Recently we were notified by Dennis Schick, the editor of the Broken Wand in the International Brotherhood of Magician's magazine, The Linking Ring, of the passing of Andrew Philip. Dennis is graciously allowing me to pass this on to you. 

 

Dennis also pointed out that the more ALL of us share news and information about magic with the REST of us, the better off the entire magic community will be. 

 

I take this opportunity to ask you to not just ASSUME that we already know about some magic news that YOU hear about. Please tell us about it. We would always rather hear some news SEVERAL times rather than not at all!

 

-----

 

 

Andrew Philip

 

Andrew (Andy) William Philip, 50, of Unionville, Ontario, Canada, died February 16, 2013. He was a former member of the I.B.M. (1986-2000). A high school math teacher introduced him to magic, and they became life-long friends. Although diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease as a teenager, he was never without cards and coins everywhere he went. He was a finance manager at I.B.M. Canada for seventeen years until his health prevented him from working any longer. With magic he was obsessed with presentation and crafting scripts, and he loved performing for children, especially at the family cottage in Port Elgin. Survivors include his wife of twenty-four years, Kim, and their children David and Danielle.

 

 

Broken wand: Raymond Massecar

From Your Life Moments:

Raymond Massecar

MASSECAR, Raymond Earl of St. Thomas, passed away peacefully, surrounded in his final hours by his loving family on Monday, February 4th, 2013, at the St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital, in his 88th year. Beloved husband and best friend of 57 years of Marion (Robinson) Massecar and dearly loved father of Leo and his wife Wendy Massecar of St. Thomas, Ed Massecar of Mississauga, Mary Lou Weber and her husband Chuck of St. Thomas and Brian Massecar of St. Thomas. Much loved grandfather of Shawn (Natalie) and Lindsey Hardy (Rich). Predeceased by a grandson Robbie. Loved great grandfather of Liam and Lincoln. Predeceased by 3 brothers Gordon, Howard and Donald Massecar. Sadly missed by a number of nieces and nephews. Ray was born in Waterford on June 20th, 1925, the son of the late Earl and Grace (Warwick) Massecar. He was retired from Magna (1985). Ray served overseas with the army during W.W.II. He was a member of Grace United Church and a former member of the Kinsmen Club and the Knights of Pythias and the International Brotherhood of Magicians.

Read more.

[With thanks to Dennis Schick for passing this information along.]

Broken wand: Munro MacKenzie

From The Vancouver Sun:

1923 - March 6, 2013

With sadness we announce the passing of Munro MacKenzie: Son, Student, Soldier, Husband, Father, Cousin, Pharmacist, Volunteer, Friend, Mentor. Munro was born in New Westminster BC and grew up in Vancouver. He bravely served his country in World War 2 as part of the Canadian Scottish Regiment, coming home to finish his studies in Pharmacy at UBC and marry his sweetheart. He was the well-liked neighbourhood pharmacist until an armed robbery left him seriously injured in the early '80's. Determined to live life to the fullest, he became a volunteer, working for the Vancouver Aquarium, and Meals on Wheels. He was a Patron at Science World, putting in over 12,000 hours as a volunteer, right up until a week before his passing. In 2007, he was honoured with a Community Achievement Award, in Victoria. He was also a very active member of the Vancouver Magic Circle.

Read more.

Broken wand: Mehdi Talbi

From Mehdi Magicien: (warning: sound)

C'est avec beaucoup de tristesse que nous vous annonçons le décès de Mehdi la super étoile de la magie le 24 avril 2013 a l'âge de 64 ans ,comme il le souhaitait, gardons la magie et l'émerveillement dans nos coeurs.

La famille.
Read english transaltion. (warning: sound)
 

Our thoughts are with his family.



[with thanks to Phil Matlin for letting me know]

Broken wand: Greg Kramer

From the Montreal Gazette:

Greg Kramer has passed away. In addition to being a fine actor, an excellent director, and an award-nominated author of novels and  short stories, Kramer was also a magician of considerable expertise. He was hired as a consultant by the Stratford Festival to help create the special effects for their recent production of The Tempest starring Christopher Plummer as Prospero.

Read more.

From the CBC:

Montreal's close-knit theatre community is still reeling from the shock of losing Greg Kramer, the 51-year-old playwright, actor, director, songwriter and magician found dead in his apartment Monday — the very day rehearsals began at the Segal Centre for the last play he wrote.

Kramer performed on stages across Canada, the country he made home after leaving Britain in 1981 because of Margaret Thatcher's cuts to arts funding.  

Read more.

From the Globe and Mail:

Riding in on a skateboard as a juggling, fire-breathing Mustardseed in the 1987 Vancouver Playhouse production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Greg Kramer, a free-wheeling and sometimes outrageously multi-talented artist, tripped over his feet and cracked both ankles. He was so high on adrenalin that he carried on until the end of the show.

Read more.

[With appreciation to Phil Matlin for letting me know.]

Broken wand: Peter Reveen

From Reveen's website:

Reveen had great respect for his audiences and became lifelong friends with many of the people who attended his shows.   He will be remembered for his extraordinary sense of humor, his willingness to share his knowledge and advice without expectation of something in return, his generosity and his humble dedication to charity. His incredible memory provided him with an endless supply of stories and jokes that he enjoyed sharing with friends and family.

 
The Reveen family takes comfort in knowing that he is now at peace.  We are proud to have shared him with countless fans, friends and family around the world and we are incredibly grateful for the kind words of support from the many people whose lives he touched.
A memorial service is being planned to honour the great entertainer.

Read more.

From the CBC:

Reveen the Impossibilist, a master hypnotist and illusionist, has died.

Born in Australia in 1935, Peter Reveen passed away Monday morning in Las Vegas. He died as a result of complications due to diabetes and dementia, according to the obituary posted on his website.

He was well-known throughout Atlantic Canada, presenting shows for decades in cities across the East Coast. Over his 50-year career he presented 6,000 live performances throughout Canada, the U.S., Australia and the United Kingdom. 

Read more.
 

From the Winnipeg Free Press:

After immigrating to Canada from Australia in 1961, he began his career knocking on the doors of businesses in small towns in British Columbia, offering free tickets to shop owners if they put up his poster in their windows, she said.

As a youth he was a stage magician, but he later studied hypnosis and developed a show that emphasized audience engagement.

He performed in front of packed theatres and campus audiences around the world. But Cathy Reveen said he was particularly fond of entertaining audiences in small communities in Atlantic Canada, where he made his final tour in 2008.

Read more.

From the Merlina mailing list:

Peter J. Reveen (born 1935 in Adelaide, Australia - Died 8 Apr 2013) was a stage hypnotist and illusionist who performed mainly in Canada. He was the "Impossibilist". Mr. Reveen toured as a performer for over 35 years. He came out of retirment in 2007 with a mini-tour which he called The Return of Reveen. He was a founding member of The Magic Castle, was awarded the DRAGON Award in 2000, was manager to Lance Burton and his biography of accomplishments goes on and on. He was married to Coral and had 4 sons, Wayne, Tyrone, Calvin and Peter Jr. His passing leaves a huge void in the world of magic and entertainment. May he Rest In Peace.

Our thoughts are with his sons Wayne, Tyrone, Calvin and Peter Jr as well as extended family and friends.

Broken wand: Blain Harper

Updated at 4pm to include this link to a tribute to Blain by Lee Elliott.

From Mount Pleasant Group:

Harper, Blain
 
It is with great sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Blain, on March 15, 2013 at St. Michael’s Hospital in his 41st year. Blain brought humour and magic into the lives of everyone he met and will be sadly missed. Cherished husband to Sophie for 13 years. Adoring father to Kara. Loving son to the late Marilyn (1991) and Robert and his wife Susan. Loving and supportive brother to Jennifer. Devoted uncle “Goofball” to Willow. He will also be missed by his step siblings Alison and Warren Lawtey as well as by his aunts, uncles, and cousins. He was revered by his multitude of friends, neighbours, and colleagues at Yonge & Rubicam where he worked as an Associate Creative Director. Family and Friends may call at PINE HILLS CEMETERY & VISITATION CENTRE, 625 Birchmount Rd., Scarborough (north of St. Clair Ave. E., 416-267-8229) on Thursday, March 21, 2013 from 3-5pm and 7-9pm for visitation. A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 22, 2013 at 11am in the chapel at Pine Hills.

Read more.

[with appreciation to Lee Elliott for letting us know]

Broken wand: Stuart Feldman

From the Montreal Gazette:

FELDMAN, Stuart
Suddenly, on Sunday, March 3, 2013. Dear brother and brother-in-law of Rhoda and Leon Grinberg, Judy and Allan Klein of Houston, Texas. Son of the late Rosaline and the late Abbey Feldman. Stuart will be sadly mourned by his nieces, nephews, family and friends.

Read more.
 

Read condolence messages, including one by Richard Sanders, at Paperman and Sons.


[Thank you to Perfect Magic, for sharing the news.]

Broken wand: Lucien "Stephano" Boucher

From Le Survol de la Rive-Nord:

À Saint-Eustache, le 24 novembre 2012 à l’âge de 89 ans, est décédé Lucien Boucher, époux d’Huguette Beaudoin. Outre son épouse, il laisse dans le deuil ses fils Pierre et Stéphane (Diane); ses petits-enfants : Alyssa, Aaron, Frankie et Missy; de nombreux frères et sœurs ainsi que plusieurs autres parents et amis.

Lucien Boucher a fait sa marque, sous le nom de Stéphano, dans le milieu des variétés en tant que magicien, humoriste et photographe.

Read more.

Read in english via Google Translate.


[With thanks to Phil Matlin.]

Broken wand: Leonard Miedzianowski

From the Montreal Gazette:

1951-2013 Leonard Miedzianowski, aka Nemo Turner son of the late Peter Miedzianowski and Wanda Lorek, survived by his brother John and sister Regina, and numerous friends. Leonard was a well known Montreal magician.

Read more.

[via Perfect Magic]


From "Remebering Nemo" over at the Rotary Club of Montreal.

Nemo Turner, born Leonard Miedzianowski, age 61, died early Friday morning, February 8, 2013.

Nemo (the name he took when he began to perform magic) was a well known Montrealer having frequently appeared in the media.
After attending Concordia University (Loyola campus) and receiving a Bachelor’s degree in psychology he carried on with his career as a magician and llusionist, his loyal assistant, Melvin Rabbit at his side. A sense of whimsy and an ability to generate publicity on Nemo’s part led to Melvin, a small white rabbit, gaining his own measure of fame, resulting in a lifestyle that included his own bank account and dining at the Mount Stephen Club. Nemo went on to blend his entertainment skills with education and also was involved in real estate ventures.

Read more.

Remembering

Added Lucien Boucher on February 23rd, 2013.

• Boucher, Lucien "Stephano" (1923 - 2012)
• Everett Andrews (1935 - 2012)
• Felsher, Steven ( -2012)
• Hooten, Cameron (1926-2012)
• Martineau, Francis  (1922-2012)