In Search of a Happy Life
By Dylan C. Fox
Lonnie Lee Egbert
July 8, 1949 – July 4, 1992
Lon prepares a trick during a show. (Courtesy of Melissa Egbert Wren)
Lon Lee Egbert was born to Clarence Egbert and Janice Nutcher on July 8, 1949, in San Mateo, California.[1] He had two younger siblings, his sister Linda and his brother Brian. Clarence Egbert had previously served in the US Army during World War II as a technician, possibly inspiring his son’s eventual service, and worked as a ramp supervisor for United Airlines.[2] When Lon was just 8 years old, he discovered his lifelong passion for magic when his father took him to a banquet and a magician invited him on stage to assist in the “linking rings trick.” From that point on, Lon began practicing magic and even made the linking rings one of his own “pet tricks” as an adult.[3]otnotes Lon’s family moved to Santa Clara at some point as he graduated from Santa Clara High School, where he also ran on the track team.[4] Lon’s father Clarence is remembered as a “sweet and loving man,” whereas his mother Janice took a much harsher approach to parenting. In one instance, Janice secretly cooked Lon’s first pet rabbit and served it for dinner in an attempt to discipline Lon.[5] Thus, when Lon turned 19, he left the house to enlist in the Navy; growing up in coastal Southern California, Lon’s other passions included fishing and scuba diving and family members stated he picked the Navy simply because he wished to be close to the sea.[6]
While in the Navy, Lon took the role of a lithographer and handled all the printing needs abroad two ships during his service from 1968-1972 on the USS Mount McKinley and the USS Blue Ridge.[7] As a lithographer, Lon was trained to use a variety of machinery from offset presses to cameras that documented the ship’s journey. Navy lithographers served an important logistical function aboard their vessels by providing any manner of posters, forms, newspapers, and, most importantly of all, training materials that taught the crew how to maintain and operate the ship.[8] Lon’s first two years were of service aboard the USS Mount McKinley were likely very quiet as the ship served exclusively in a training exercise capacity; yet, he did not stop practicing magic even aboard the ship and was known to make balloon animals for children whenever they stopped in a port.[9]
While aboard the Blue Ridge during late March, 1972, Lon and the crew were diverted from a US-S. Korean training exercise to the Gulf of Tonkin due to the start of North Vietnam’s Easter Offensive into South Vietnam.[10] When she arrived in Vietnamese waters, the Blue Ridge served as the “command and control center” in several operations during the Vietnam War such as the recapturing of Quang Tri province by the Marine Corps.[11] On June 20, 1972, Lon completed his tour and was flown back to San Diego. Prior to leaving the service, one day Lon read a magazine that featured an article on a female ventriloquist attending CSU named Stephanie Serwicz. He decided to send Stephanie a letter about their mutual interest in ventriloquism and magic, which sparked a long-distance romance that lasted several years.[12]
Lon shows off his “Happy the Magical Rabbit” costume in front of his printing shop. (Courtesy of Melissa Egbert Wren)
When Lon returned from Vietnam, he began to diligently split his time between two careers, one that employed his skills from the Navy in a print shop while the other drew upon his lifelong passion for magic. At the same time, he also pursued a business management degree at Grossmont College. Whether donning a tuxedo or his iconic “Happy the Magic Rabbit” suit, Lon took his talents across California to dazzle hundreds with classic tricks such as levitation. Some of Lon’s venues over the years included but were not limited to Disneyland, Elitch's, United Airlines, the Armed Forces Television Network, talk shows, Pacific Fleet Christmas parties, various schools, and many private events.[13] For two years, Lon juggled his schooling, various jobs, and his magic career all while saving money to move out to Colorado and join Stephanie – his father’s job at United Airlines allowed him to travel back and forth from California to Colorado fairly frequently. He finally made the move in the spring of 1974 and got married to Stephanie shortly thereafter. The couple had two daughters, Melissa and Rebecca.[14]
Lon continued to work several jobs while still flying between Colorado and California to pursue his passion for magic. He often performed with Stephanie and Melissa as assistants.[15] Eventually, due to his “workaholic” attitude, Lon saved up enough money to open up his own printing business which he named Magic Express Printing. As Lon established himself in Colorado, he became a registered member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians as well as the secretary and editor for the Mile High Magicians Society from 1975 to 1976.[16]
As Lon grew older, he began to suffer from various health conditions. Melissa noted that both of her parents had bipolar disorder which strained their relationship, and Lon was afflicted by increasingly painful migraine headaches that had developed after his time in the Navy. Lon and Stephanie parted ways, but he remained close with his daughter Melissa, who described him as a “best friend” and “the Disneyland Dad.”[17] After a series of personal and professional setbacks that left Lon financially ruined, Lon’s mental state continued to deteriorate to the point where it was clear to family members that he intended to commit suicide.[18] Only a few days shy of his 44th birthday, Lon took his life by deliberately driving off the edge of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park on the 4th of July, 1992.[19] Lon was survived by both of his parents as well as his daughters.
Lon’s life and passing serve as a reminder that an individual’s struggle with mental illness is a lifelong battle and often the resources to treat it can be inaccessible for a variety of reasons, whether they be financial, personal, or social. Yet Lon deserves to be remembered and honored for his service, his career as a passionate entertainer, and his life as a father.
Footnotes ↓
[1] “California Birth Index, 1905-1995,” ancestry.com, entry for Lonnie Lee Egbert.
[2] “Clarence Leroy Egbert (1920-2000),” Find a Grave, accessed July 30, 2021, www.findagrave.com/memorial/63469050/clarence-leroy-egbert; Lon Egbert to Stephanie Serwicz, Santa Clara, CA, August 17, 1972, Scrapbook of Lon Egbert’s letters, 1972-1992, Melissa Egbert’s personal collection.
[3] Lon Egbert to Stephanie Serwicz, Santa Clara, CA, June 30, 1972.
[4] Melissa Egbert, interview by Dylan Fox, August 12, 2021, DU VLP.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Melissa Egbert and Stephanie Serwicz (by phone), interview by Dylan Fox, August 12, 2021, DU VLP.
[7] USS Mount McKinley LCC-7: Twenty-Five Years of Service (San Diego, CA: Allen Publishing Company, 1970);
Melissa Egbert and Stephanie Serwicz (by phone), interview by Dylan Fox, August 12, 2021, DU VLP.
[8] “U.S. Navy Lithographer (LI) Rating Badge,” Uniforms-4u.com, http://www.uniforms-4u.com/p-us-navy-e6-lithographer-dress-blue-rating-badge-18015.aspx.
[9] Robert J. Cressman, ed., “Mount McKinley (AGC-7): 1944-1976,” Naval History and Heritage Command, August 18, 2016, https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/m/mount-mckinley.html.
[10] Capt. Kent J. Carroll, “U.S.S. Blue Ridge Command History - 1972 (OPNVA Report 5750-1),” February 5, 1973, https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/ship-command-operation-reports/b/blue-ridge-lcc-19-iii/pdf/1972.pdf.
[11] Ibid, 2.
[12] Lon Egbert to Stephanie Serwicz, San Diego, CA, June 30, 1972.
[13] “Lon Egbert’s Past Performances,” Scrapbook of Lon Egbert’s belongings, 1972-1992, Melissa Egbert’s personal collection.
[14] Lon Egbert to Stephanie Serwicz, San Diego, CA, February 26, 1974;
Melissa Egbert and Stephanie Serwicz (by phone), interview by Dylan Fox, August 12, 2021, DU VLP.
[15] Ibid.
[16] Edmund Prendergast, “Club History,” Mile High Magicians Society, accessed July 30, 2021, milehighmagicians.com/club-history/.
[17] Melissa Egbert, interview by Dylan Fox, August 12, 2021, DU VLP.
[18] Ibid.
[19] The Gazette (Colorado Springs), July 7, 1992, p. 3.
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