Raymond J. Goulet

Watertown – . . . "The magic of earth is over. The magic and mystery of another realm awaits and will be revealed." . . . excerpt from "The Broken Wand" ritual first recited upon the death of Harry Houdini in November, 1926.

The revered ceremony, repeated on the death of a member of The International Brotherhood of Magicians, will be read at the wake of Watertown's Ray Goulet, a lifelong entertainer, illusionist and magician who died Saturday, October 7, 2017 at Care One in Newton following a period of declining health. He was 87.

Raymond J. Goulet was born in Cambridge on January 20, 1930, a son of the late Valmore Goulet and Mary (Marrano) (Goulet) Joaquim, and was a lifelong resident of Watertown. He was a graduate of Watertown High School and served with the United States Army during the Korean War.

He would tell you that the real magic in his life began when he married his sweetheart and lifelong best friend, Watertown's Ann M. Ford, in Saint Patrick's Church on October 12, 1949. In a feature article for the Boston Globe, writer Kathleen Burge had this to say;

"For 40 years, Ray Goulet was the master of card tricks and illusions, vanishing and reappearing eggs, and a snake in a basket that could find a card chosen by an audience member.

With his wife, Ann, he created a traveling show and performed on 22 trans-Atlantic voyages, including once for the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. He made eggs disappear at the White House during the annual Easter Egg Roll in 1984.

But since he retired he has devoted himself to his Magic Art Studio, a brick building at 137 Spring Street in Watertown that houses a public museum and shop, as well as a theater and meeting place for local magicians. David Copperfield stops by when he's in town. Both halves of Penn & Teller, the Las Vegas-based pair of magicians and comedians, have dropped in.

Goulet's treasures include a straitjacket worn by Harry Houdini during his daring escapes, and a costume worn in a show by Houdini's wife and stage assistant, Bess. Goulet owns one of the largest collections of die boxes - containers used to hold dice that magically disappear and reappear - in the world. And he has a voluminous array of sheet music for tunes played during magic shows."

In addition to his wife of sixty-eight years, Ann, he leaves his brothers, Ronald Joaquim of Cambridge, Manuel Joaquim of Sarasota, Florida and Richard Joaquim and his wife, Nancy, of Scottsdale, Arizona; his sisters-and brothers-in-law, Joan Cappellucci of Watertown, Pauline Bales and her husband, Frank, of Georgia, Claire Butler of Hudson, Eileen St. Onge of Watertown, Helen Ford of Concord, Marion Busa and her husband, Jim, and Jack Ford and his wife, Fran, all of Waltham, Eleanor Rooney and her husband, Bill, of Reading and Bill Studley of New Hampshire; longtime family friend and protégé, Ryan Lally, of Watertown and many nieces, nephews and their families.

Ray was also a step-son of the late Manuel Joaquim and brother-in-law of the late Sharon Joaquim, Janet Studley, Watertown Fire Captain Robert Ford, Al St. Onge, Ray Butler and John Cappellucci.

Family and friends will honor and remember Ray's life by gathering for calling hours in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Sunday, October 15th from 4 to 8 p.m. and again at 8 a.m. on Monday morning before leaving in procession to Saint Patrick's Church, 212 Main Street, Watertown where his Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Entombment will follow in Calvary Cemetery Mausoleum, Waltham.

Memorial donations may be made to Saint Jude Children's Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at www.stjude.org