Palatine's Santa Claus loved bringing Christmas to kids

Bernard Knepper held a rare place of honor among Palatine residents. To them, he was Santa.

In fact, the jolly elf of a man, with his white beard and wardrobe of bright red clothing, bristled at the suggestion that he "played" Santa.

"I'm not playing Santa; I am Santa," he said during an interview in 2006, "because I love to bring the magic of Christmas to children and joy to the world."

Mr. Knepper died on Tuesday from bile duct cancer. The 20-year Palatine resident was 56.

"He had a big heart," said Sandy, his wife of 36 years, "and we have been blessed with a lot of good memories."

Mr. Knepper led the Palatine tree-lighting ceremony for three years. Village leaders had asked him to preside again in December, but his illness forced him to decline.

Each year, he arrived with Mayor Rita Mullins on a fire engine after visiting with local children throughout the afternoon, hearing their Christmas wishes.

His transformation into the role of Santa began 12 years ago. He first played Santa for his grandson's first Christmas. Slowly, he expanded his visits to include neighborhood children and local nursing homes.

A highlight was in the summer 2006, when he attended the first-ever convention of the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, of which he was a member, held in Branson, Mo.

"When you're around 300 others who feel the same way you do, it's just exhilarating and wonderful," Mr. Knepper said at the time.

Tim Connaghan of Riverside, Calif., who founded the group, said having the real beard was the key.

"We want everything about us to be authentic, so that if just one child comes away believing we're the real Santa, than we've done our job," Connaghan said.

After Mr. Knepper's first year as Santa in Palatine, he converted an old golf cart into his sleigh. He followed up by handcrafting his chair, painting it green and covering it with red Naugahyde upholstery on the seat.

Six weeks ago, Mr. Knepper donated the chair to the village, family members said, so Santa would have a place of honor during the annual holiday festival.

Palatine officials also knew Mr. Knepper as a former Rosemont police officer, who shared his expertise with their volunteers. He was an early emergency management volunteer himself, and after Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he became a certified trainer for the village's community emergency response team.

Besides his wife, Mr. Knepper is survived by his two sons, Todd (Debbie) of Rolling Meadows and Luke (Jessica) of Hoffman Estates, and three grandchildren.

Visitation will begin at 4 p.m. before a 7 p.m. funeral service, both on Sunday at Harvest Bible Chapel, 800 Rohlwing Road in Rolling Meadows.