Yuma says good-bye to its very own Santa Claus

A Yuma resident who legally changed his name to Santa Claus died Thursday after a lifetime of helping people, especially sick children.

His wife, Patricia Claus, told the Yuma Sun that her husband, 59, recently had been in and out of the hospital, suffering from complications of diabetes, including kidney failure and blocked arteries.

But his death was still unexpected.

"He had been standing up and seemed fine, then he started feeling sick and said, 'Call an ambulance'," Patricia said.

The Yuma resident legally changed his name from Terry Randolph to Santa Claus in 1993.

"People started calling me Santa because I was always helping people," he said in a 2009 Yuma Sun story. "As I started getting older, I thought, well, that'd be pretty neat, so I changed my name."

With his natural white beard and hair, he traveled across the United States, raising money for sick children. He appeared as Santa Claus at various events for Christmas, but he had a special place in his heart for the Boys and Girls Club, Patricia said.

The Clauses also decorated their home like Santa's Workshop during the holidays. He also made appearances at private homes for a fee and used the money to buy presents for needy children.

Claus is survived by his wife of 12 years, Patricia Claus; daughter Tanya Randolph; sons Eric, James, Patrick and Andrew; stepdaughters Anna and Elizabeth Comet; and stepsons Jason and Elliot Comet.

He passed away at 11:30 p.m. Thursday of a heart attack, Patricia said.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Johnson Mortuary Chapel, 1415 S. First Ave.

"He was a sweet, loving person," Patricia said. "He wouldn't look at what you had done in the past. He saw what you were now."

"He had a big heart," said his stepson Jason Comet. "If he could help in any way, he would make sure to help."

Jason said his step-father once help saved a man's life when a window fell off a rack and sliced the man's leg, causing extensive bleeding.

"He was always taking care of the elderly, so we knew what to do to stop the bleeding," Jason said, noting that his step-father didn't hesitate to help.

At one time Santa Claus' name was listed in the phone book and children would often call asking to speak with Santa Claus. He always talked to them, but once the calls starting coming in almost nonstop during the middle of the night, the Clauses changed their number and had it unlisted.

About a month and a half ago he broke a leg when a package of frozen meat rolled out of the freezer and fell on his leg. He joked that he had been "beaten up by meat."

Claus was born in Iowa and moved to Yuma in 1995. Most recently he and Patricia lived and worked in a group home taking care of mentally ill people, teaching them "the value of money, how to cope with life on life's terms." They also took people to bingo and block parties. "We have a lot of fun," Santa Claus told the Sun in 2009.

He said he believed that people should help year-round, however, not just during the holidays.

"I try to help as many people as I can, not just at Christmas. Thanksgiving is nice, Christmas is nice, but what about the rest of the year?" he said in the article. "People need help the rest of the year, too. They have to survive first, before they can have Christmas. A lot of people don't because they don't have food, or no place to live."

He said he treated people like he wanted to be treated "with respect and dignity" and he thought "people need to get back to people. They're so wrapped up in themselves. They need to get back to basics, people helping people."

He said he was happy to have "Patty to keep me in line!"

He admitted that being Santa Claus had its perks and recalled a time when he was stopped by a Highway Patrol officer between Yuma and Gila Bend while driving his red pickup. He said the officer looked at his driver's license and said, "Well, Santa, I'm not going to cite you.

"But tell Rudolph to slow down," the officer added, nodding at the red pickup.

For more information on the funeral service, call Johnson Mortuary at (928) 782-4384.

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or 539-6856.