Sidney Radner 1919 - 2011 HOLYOKE Sidney Hollis Radner, a retired Holyoke business-man with an international reputation in the worlds of gaming, magic and the escape artist Houdini, died Sunday (June 26) at the Jewish Nursing Home in Longmeadow after a brief illness. Mr. Radner, who lived in Palm Beach, FL and Holyoke, was 91. His wife of 64 years, Helen (Cohen) Radner, died in March. Although Mr. Radner was known internationally in the gaming, magic and escape venues, locally he was best known as the former owner and operator of the American Rug Co. in Holyoke. Mr. Radner took over American Rug in 1946 from his father and operated the business for several decades before retiring and turning day-to-day operations over to his son William. Mr. Radner was born in Holyoke, the son of William and Edythe (Hollop) Radner. He was a graduate of Worcester Academy and Yale University. In addition to being predeceased by his wife Helen, he was predeceased by his brother Zoel Radner in 2009. Mr. Radner is survived by two sons and daughters-in-law, William and Lisa Radner of West Springfield, and Richard and Thanee Radner of Las Vegas, NV. He also leaves two nieces, Dawn Packer of Scottsdale, AZ and Lauren Radner of Austin, TX, and a nephew Barry Katz of Malibu, CA. Mr. Radner's accomplishments in the worlds of magic, gambling and the escape artist Houdini dated back to his years as a young man and were both broad and deep. They included working during World War II when he served in the U.S. military as an investigator on crooked gambling in the Armed Forces, being a protege of Houdini's brother Hardeen, traveling around the U.S. doing escapes from handcuffs in police stations, and writing several books on card games including subjects such as how to spot card sharks and their methods. Mr. Radner had the largest collection of Houdini memorabilia until much of it was auctioned off in 2004 in Las Vegas. Mr. Radner had the distinction of being the only American hired by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to testify as an expert on crooked gambling in Canadian courts that led to a conviction on card cheating. He was the past director of the Houdini Hall of Fame in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and was Honorary Curator of the Houdini Historical Center in Appleton, WI. He also assisted the FBI with special investigations. He had organized the only officially recognized Houdini sance for more than 50 years. Mr. Radner made appearances on national television including the Tonight Show, Today Show, History Channel and BBC. In Holyoke, he was past president of the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, a member of Holyoke Rotary Club, the Masons and Melha Shriners, and on the Board of Directors of the Western Massachusetts Better Business Bureau. He was a co-founder of the Volleyball Hall of Fame in Holyoke. Mr. Radner's funeral will be 10:00 AM Wednesday (June 29) at the Sons of Zion Synagogue, 378 Maple St., Holyoke with burial in Sons of Zion Cemetery. A memorial Shiva will be Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM at 289 Christopher Terrace, West Springfield, at the home of his son, William Radner. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284-9168, to the Congregation Sons of Zion, 378 Maple St., Holyoke, MA 01040, or to the Sinai Temple, 1100 Dickinson St., Springfield, MA 01108. The Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home is assisting the family. For further information or directions, please visit ascherzimmerman.com

Sidney H Radner