“I wrote down that I wanted tobe a funeral director,” the owner ofWilson Family Funeral Home inMinneapolis, Kansas, laughed. “Myteacher was a little bit concernedand ended up calling my mother.Her response was, ‘It’s a phase;he’ll get over it.’ I never got overit.”

While his career passion wasfounded during his early elementaryschool years, Wilson’s pastimepassion took a l i tt le longer todevelop.

These days, the Christmas seasonin his town doesn’t really start untilWilson dons his custom-made suitand custom-designed wig and beardand booms out his first “Ho, ho,ho.”

And while many believe Santa

Claus spends all of his time at theNorth Pole, residents old andyoung alike in Minneapolis knowbetter – for the past 28 years, Santahas spent every December in theirsmall town.

Growing up, Wilson had theuncanny abil ity to spot animposter. “I don’t know if ‘Santaconnoisseur’ is the right term, but Icould easily tell the fake ones,” hesaid. “There were some that werereally good, but others ...”

Wilson laughingly explains thathe fell into playing Santa Clauscompletely by accident. “I was anonly child for 13 years,” he said,“and then my parents had asurprise ... a baby brother when Iwas about 13½.”

For his baby brother’s f irst

Christmas, Wilson decided that hewanted to be Santa Claus. “I hadmoney from my part-time job, so Iwent out to Toys R Us and boughta $25 Santa suit,” Wilson recalled.“Word snuck out that Todd Wilsonhad a Santa Claus suit, and in atown of 2,000 people a lot ofpeople knew.”

Not surprisingly, when the nextholiday season rolled around, athen-high school freshman Wilsonwas in demand. “I just knew Icouldn’t use that same Santa suitagain,” he said. “Luckily, the SearsWish Book had five different Santasuits ... so I spent $300 dollars toget the cream-of-the-crop suit.”

Throughout his high school years(and beyond), Wilson became aholiday staple in his hometown,

While other second graders might have said they wanted to bepolice officers, firefighters or airline pilots when they grew up,Todd Wilson had a different response.

CommunityBy Patti Martin Bartsche

‘Ho, Ho, Ho!’

Reprinted from American Funeral Director Magazine, December 2015, with permission of Kates-Boylston Publications.To subscribe to American Funeral Director visit www.americanfuneraldirector.com.

FD Santa.qxp_AFD May BOOK 11/20/15 10:37 AM Page 42

visit ing up to 15 homes onChristmas Eve for “$10 a gig”.Even after graduating high schoolin 1993, Wilson made a point ofreturning home for Santa visits.

In Minneapolis, i t just isn’tChristmas without Todd Wilsonplaying Santa.

This holiday season will mark the41-year-old’s 28th consecutive yearas Santa. Three years ago, knowingthat his reign as Santa wasn’t goingto end any time soon, Wilsonordered a custom-made Santa suitfrom a Hollywood designer that fitslike a glove. Then last year, he“broke down” and purchased acustom beard and wig. “It made aworld of difference,” Wilson said.“There were a lot of people in townwho had no idea who I was.”

The cool thing about living insmall town America, Wilsonconfided, is that he knows about 80percent of the people he comes intocontact with as Santa. Thatknowledge works to his advantage.“I had a mother call me when herson was in first grade (he’s now ahigh school senior) who explainedthat he was getting his name put onthe board (for bad behavior) andsaying bad words,” Wilsonexplained. “When the boy camethrough the line that year, I toldhim that Santa and he needed tohave a little chit chat. I explainedthat I knew that he had had hisname written on the board and thathe had said some bad words. Whenhe looked at me and asked ‘whatword,’ I whispered it in his ear, and

his eyes went really wide. A day orso later I got another phone callfrom his mother who told me thatshe didn’t know what I whisperedin her son’s ear, but he came home,cleaned his room and was acompletely different child.”

Now that, Wilson chuckles, is themagic of a Santa who knows whenyou’ve been bad or good.

Wilson’s popularity as Santa hassteadily grown over the years. Hewas booked a year in advance forthree corporate events and will bedoing a number of house visits (thecharge is now $75), including threeon Christmas Eve. For the first timein a number of years, though, hewill not be playing Santa for thelocal Chamber of Commerceholiday event. “It just got to be too

Clockwise, from top right: Todd Wilson visits with the young sons of family friends.

Santa makes his arrival in Minneapolis, Kansas. Children love to visit with Santa.

(Photos courtesy of Todd Wilson)

Reprinted from American Funeral Director Magazine, December 2015, with permission of Kates-Boylston Publications.To subscribe to American Funeral Director visit www.americanfuneraldirector.com.

FD Santa.qxp_AFD May BOOK 11/20/15 10:37 AM Page 43

much,” Wilson said. Instead, Santawill be making an appearance atoldest son Landon’s show choirperformance. “I’m telling people tosupport the show choir ... and theyget to see Santa,” he added.

While Wilson enjoys this mostwonderful time of the year, he isquick to add that his passion isfuneral service – a passion that hasnever once wavered from the timehis great grandmother died.

“I was probably about 8, and hadonly known my great grandmotherfrom being in the nursing home,and the week before she died I wentto visit her. She had no teeth (in),no makeup, was hooked up tooxygen and was wearing a hospitalgown,” Wilson said. “But Iremember as if it were yesterday,walking into the funeral homechapel three or four days after shedied and walking down the aisle ofthe funeral home chapel and seeingher in the casket – her teeth in,makeup on, no oxygen and dressedin a blue dress. She looked sodifferent.”

To a young Wilson, the nextlogical step would be to go to thelocal library and check out a bookon death and dying. “I was reallycurious, really interested,” he said.It didn’t hurt that the local funeralhome was located directly acrossthe street from his elementaryschool, either. “I couldn’t wait forthe Batesville truck to drive up andwatch them deliver caskets,” hesaid.

By the time he was 9, Wilson hadwalked over to the then ShieldsFamily Funeral Home and askedowner, Bruce Shields, for a job. Hiscareer in funeral service wouldofficially have to wait, though,until Wilson’s freshman year. “Istarted working visitations when Iwas 14 and removals when I was16,” Wilson said. “I knew it was

where I was meant to be.”Although Wilson left

Minneapolis after graduation in1993 to attend mortuary schooland later, to work at a Kansas Cityfuneral home, Wilson would returnhome to play Santa and assist hismentor, Shields, whenever possible.

In July 1998, he married theformer Shelly Miller. In 2002, thecouple returned to Minneapolis soWilson could assist Shields and hiswife, Sandy, full time. Five yearslater, the couple purchased thefuneral home from the Shields’ andthe name changed to Wilson ShieldsFuneral Home. In December 2010,the funeral home was renamed theWilson Family Funeral Home.Shelly Wilson, a registered nurse,now works full t ime with herhusband.

Shelly is not only a wife, mother(the couple have two children,Landon, 14, and Reece, 10), andthe only other full-time employee atWilson Family Funeral Home; sheis also Santa’s scheduler. “She getsme to where I need to go,” Wilsonsaid. “Santa can’t not show up ...or be late.”

Although Wilson never told hissons that he was Santa, theyeventually figured it out. “My wifetells me I have blue eyes that give itaway,” he explained. While hisolder son took the revelation instride, younger son, Reece, was notamused. “He didn’t talk to me for awhile,” Wilson said. Now, though,Reece is more than willing to donan elf outfit when duty calls.

Since he has bowed out of thisyear’s Chamber of Commerceevent, the Wilson family will all betogether on Thanksgiving weekend– unless a call comes in to thefuneral home.

“I don’t ask anyone (the firmemploys a number of part-timeemployees) to be on call,” Wilson

said. “They should be with theirfamilies. If a call comes, my wifeand I will answer it. But this will bethe first Thanksgiving without a(Santa) gig.”

December surely passes in a blurof funeral services and Santa visits,but by midnight Christmas Eve,Santa and his suit will be on theirway back home. “Come midnight,everything is done. No ChristmasDay visits, no day after Christmasvisits,” he said.

As is tradition, the Wilson familywill attend Christmas Eve services,and Santa will visit the homes ofjust three families who havedeveloped relationships with thejolly old soul over the years. Afterchurch, the Wilsons will returnhome and open presents together asa family. On Christmas day,Wilson’s father and brother willjoin the family for the afternoon.

And if the telephone happens toring, that will be just fine.

“I realized something one of thefirst years I was on call onChristmas Eve,” Wilson said. “Itold myself I would be OK becauseI would be going home to myfamily. The family that called,they’d be going home and they’d bemissing someone. It’s somethingI’ve never forgotten.”

And families have never forgottenthe kindness Wilson has shownover the years, whether it wasserving a family whose loved onehad died or bringing a smile to aperson’s face as Santa. “There’sbeen some real relationships builtover the years,” Wilson said,“relationships that wil l last alifetime.”

Which is why, Wilson says with alaugh, every time his wife asks himif he’s going to be Santa next year,the answer is always the same: “I’msure I will.” •

Reprinted from American Funeral Director Magazine, December 2015, with permission of Kates-Boylston Publications.To subscribe to American Funeral Director visit www.americanfuneraldirector.com.

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