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Georgia Man Who Played Santa for 33 Years Killed by COVID on Xmas Eve

TRAGIC

Santa Larry, as he was known to some, was a beloved retiree who had donned the white beard for decades.

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Pedro Nunes/Reuters

An Atlanta-area man who was well-known for having played Santa Claus for 33 years died on Christmas Eve from the coronavirus. Santa Larry, or Larry Kenneth Jones as he was otherwise known, retired from Chevron Oil after 25 years and worked for the suburban Forsyth County Board of Education for another 33. It was at the county board of education that Jones, 76, became Santa Claus, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Larry, only known to us as Santa, brought Christmas joy and excitement to hundreds of special needs children at Cumming Civitan-sponsored parties for Forsyth County Elementary School special needs students,” said one online tribute to Jones.

Read it at Atlanta Journal-Constitution