Soulful Santa
My 12 year old son asked me this weekend if I believed in the magic of Santa Claus. I replied as any mom would: “Yes, I do!” Santa’s ability to bring joy, laughter, and hope to young and old alike can only be described as magical.
Of course, Santa can’t do it all on his own. He counts on thousands of men throughout the country to stand in his place at department stores, malls, and Christmas parties each year. One such man was Wendell Henderson Carr, Sr. As his obituary published in News Record explains:
There is no doubt that he derived his greatest delight through his work as Soulful Santa. He brought smiles to youngsters and the young at heart for over 35 years. The children brought as much joy to Wendell as he brought to them. That twinkle in his eyes always seemed brighter when he was in their presence.
Soulful Santa indeed brought joy and smiles to countless children. Here are some of the sweet messages submitted to his obituary Guest Book:
-I will always cherish the remember of him being santa at my oldest’s son birthday party when he was at the Children House at Bennett. He was a wonderful and kind person.
-Piedmont Health Services and Sickle Cell Agency will truly miss the Soulful Santa. At our annual Christmas party held at the Marriott, all of the children were waiting for Santa with bright eyes and wonderful smiles. Wendell was Santa to those children and he did an outstanding job.
-I’m at a loss for words. I just saw Santa 2 weeks ago at Walmart asked him to give you my love. I feel so blessed to have met the two of you at BB&T and when my time there came to an end Santa called me every so often to make sure I was okay. I can’t imagine what you are going through but what I do know is Santa is in heaven and here on earth he will be truly missed.
-I didn’t know Mr. Carr but I do remember him as SANTA…my kids are really going to miss him. I would always look for him around Christmas time.
Rest well, Soulful Santa. Your work here is done.
