Roderick William Dee, II

Roderick Dee, a long-time resident of Las Vegas, passed away on December 30, 2013 at Nathan Adelson Hospice from complications arising from his four-year bout with cancer. Rod was born on February 27, 1957 in Spokane, Washington to Roderick and Jean Dee. After a stint in the U.S. Navy, Rod moved to Las Vegas and became a poker dealer at the Dunes. He later dealt at the Stardust in the early 1980s. As “The Diamond Kid,” Rod won the Washington State Amateur Boxing Championships, was a competitive chess player and an accomplished guitar and saxophone player. His favorite music to play was jazz and country-western. A true autodidact, Rod read everything he could get his hands on about his favorite subjects: music, boxing, chess and magic. Known around the world as “Rod The Hop”, his nom-de-guerre referred to a classic slight-of-hand move adopted from the card table and used in modern magic performances to secretly shift two halves of a deck of cards. Rod was an expert at this and dozens of other slight-of-hand moves with cards and his expertise was sought-out by many of the best minds in magic. Everything he did with a deck of cards was “Double George.” Rod will be missed largely for his robust and infectious sense of humor, his easy-going mannerisms and his stylistic way with words. He always managed to find just the right turn of phrase to break up the whole room no matter how serious the conversation may have been. Rod is survived by his wife of 16 years, Adelaide Vining-Dee; daughters Monica Underwood and Christiana Vining; son-in-law John Underwood; granddaughter Kaya Underwood; and three sisters. Additionally, he leaves hundreds of friends in the magic community around the world. Arrangements under the direction of Palm Eastern Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.