Bill Tadlock has died

[Bill Wells]

I have just learned from Phil Willmarth that Bill Tadlock passed away this morning. Bill has been ill for some time and was apparently in the hospital in intensive care when he died peaceably this morning.

Bill was a past international treasurer of the I.B.M. and well known to many on the East Coast and elsewhere. He will be greatly missed by those fortunate enough to have known him.

Those wishing to send expressions of sympathy to the family may mail them to:

Family of Bill Tadlock
114 Pike Drive
Elizabeth City, NC 27909


Funeral is expected to be Thursday or Friday. No other details are available.

[Bill Palmer]

Bill Tadlock was a very nice man. I met him at several conventions. He had a very open personality and a disarming way of greeting people. He made you feel right at home.

[Richard Kaufman]

"Tad" as his friends called him, was a professional mentalist for many years and past president of the PEA. I spent many enjoyable hours in his company and roomed with him at conventions.

He'd braved a tough struggle with cancer over the past few years and it finally caught up with him.

He will be missed.

Many of you will know Bill's daughter Mary and her husband Jeff Mielke from their attendance at magic conventions over the years. To them and all of Bill's family we offer our condolences.

[Jeffrey Cowan]

Bill was indeed a really nice guy. And his "low tech" ring flight that Rick Johnson published in the Linking Ring was very commercial and eliminates any risk of harm to the ring. Bill and I talked about his work on this effect at a convention in Vegas a few years ago, and I could see how he killed with it.

[Michael Close]

What sad news.

Bill had sent me an email in June saying that he was enjoying the joke book. We always spent a little time together at the IBM conventions.

He was a great guy.

Another friend gone.

[Tony Razzano]

Tad was a wonderful man. Kind, caring, bright and he loved magic. He was the epoitome of gentle kindness. This is a sad day for me personally as well as all of the magic and mentalism community. He will be sorely missed.

[Doug Dyment]

An irreplaceable loss. Tad was my roommate over many years of PEA conventions, and I don't recall him ever saying anything truly nasty about anyone, even those he did not hold in the highest esteem.

A sad day, indeed. The twinkle in the eye of a great southern gentleman has been extinguished.

[Steve Bryant]

Tough news. Bill was one of the guys who made attending conventions fun.

[Richard Kaufman]

Here is the official announcement and obituary:

It is with sadness that I inform you of Bill Tadlock's passing, today, just before 1:00 pm. He had been admitted to the hospital and then moved to ICU with complications from advancing cancer.

You, his friends, meant so much to him. He loved to laugh and make you laugh.

The following obituary will appear in the Elizabeth City Daily Advance and the Washington, NC Daily News. Announcements of the service will appear in the Raleigh News & Observer and the Norfolk Virginian Pilot.

William Tadlock, Sr.
Native of Washington, NC

William Tadlock, Sr., age 79, of 114 Pike Drive, Elizabeth City, NC died Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at Albemarle Hospital. Mr. Tadlock, a native of Washington, NC, was the son of the late Lewis Bond Tadlock and Mary Louise Respess Tadlock and the husband of Sally Harrell Tadlock of the residence. He was President and CEO for Bank of America Credit Corporation and during his life he was confirmed at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, a member of Christ Episcopal Church, attended Fountain of Life and Elizabeth City Rotary. He served in the volunteer fire squad, National Guard, and was a US Army Lieutenant during the Korean Conflict.

Besides his wife he is survived by a daughter, Mary Mielke of Folsom, CA and husband Jeff Mielke; a son, Bill Tadlock, Jr. of Valdosta, GA, and wife Angela Davis Tadlock; a sister, Carolyn Thompson of Windsor, NC; a brother, Milton Tadlock of Windsor, NC; a granddaughter, Victoria Fawn Tadlock; and two step-grandsons, Luke Santos-Mielke and Christopher Burger. He was predeceased by a grandson, William Louis Tadlock, III.

A memorial service will be Friday, July 11, 2008 at 11:00 AM with the Rev. Bill Mayo officiating. The family will receive friends in the lobby of the funeral home immediately following the service. You may sign the online register at www.twifordfh.com. Twiford Funeral Homes Memorial Chapel, 405 East Church Street, Elizabeth City, NC is in charge of arrangements.

Twiford Funeral Homes, LLC July 8, 2008
PO Drawer 405 252-335-4395
Elizabeth City, NC 27907-0405 FAX 252-335-4329

As we remember him, we would enjoy hearing of your memories of him, also. The family can be reached at the following addresses:

Sally Tadlock
114 Pike Dr
Elizabeth City, NC 27909

Mary and Jeff Mielke
13389 Folsom Blvd, Suite 300 - 305
Folsom, CA 95630
marytmielke@yahoo.com

Bill and Angela Tadlock
54 Willow Cove
Valdosta, GA 31602

[Riley G Matthews]

Rest in Peace my Brother... I wish we could have got together when you were in Las Vegas last year...