Arlene M. Louie, wife and assistant to De Yip Loo, the #1 Chinese Magician, and mother of Frances Mai-Ling, passed away on Friday, May 29th. Many will remember Arlene at Magic Collector’s Weekends and spending time at Magic, Inc. through the years.

Arlene Madalinski was born in Chicago on October 29, 1940. Louie and Arlene recently celebrated 37 years of marriage in April. A wedding that several well-known Chicago magicians attended at a packed ceremony in Chapel in the Sky and they celebrated with the Chicago Magicians Roundtable thereafter. Their well-known story of how Arlene met Louie was at a dance that he was persuaded to go to with Frances Ireland Marshall’s brother Johnny. The infamous story of “Louie Louie” was born and the rest is history.

She was warned by Jay Marshall not to marry Louie because of his ‘hot temper,’ but that did not sway her. For each anniversary leading up to Jay’s death, they’d call him and tell him they were still married.

Arlene wasn’t born into magic, but when she met Louie and knew she was going to marry him, knew his friends would be her friends, she would learn everything about magic and its history. She became great friends with Neil Foster, Bob Lund, Werner ‘Dorrny‘ Dornfield, Anne Gwynne, Frances & Jay Marshall, Walter Gyderson, The Johnstones, John Shirley, and so many more. Arlene could strike up a conversation about magic at a drop of a hat, and her passion for it truly showed. She could tell you more tidbits about magicians then you could ever imagine; she should have written a book.

She quit her job at Arthur Anderson in 1971 to be a full-time assistant to Louie’s busy schedule. Arlene assisted Louie onstage and in life. The saying “For every successful man there is a great woman behind them” — every word is true. Louie built a special blade box and special Sword Cabinet based off the Light Bulb Cabinet just for her. After I was born, we became  “The Shang Po Magic Show” and traveled all over the United States and Canada. We were part of the 1979 World’s Greatest Magician’s Tour in South America, the 1985 IBM Convention celebrating Harry Blackstone Sr.’s birthday, Abbott’s Magic Get-Together, Sport Shows, several TV appearances, and more.

Besides magic and being a devoted wife and mother, Arlene was also an avid gardener and writer, particularly in the form of Haiku. Many of her pieces were about life as a magician’s wife, motherhood, and fly-fishing.

Many last saw Arlene as part of the roundtable discussion on Magic at the McHenry County Historical Society in Union, Illinois and at the 40th Annual Magic Collectors. Her spark, spunk, smile, and laughter will be missed at magic gatherings, especially the Collectors Weekend. A private send off was given to her with a few family and friends in attendance. She was 68.

Francis Mai-Ling