DALLAS — A familiar face for decades of Dallas families and shoppers has died.
Carl John Anderson, the longtime Santa at Dallas' NorthPark Center mall, has died at 70.
An obituary for Anderson was posted by the Cook-Walden/Forest Oaks Funeral Home and Memorial Park, which is located in Austin, where Anderson lived.
Anderson, a child psychologist, played the role of Santa at NorthPark for over 30 years, retiring last year.
"Carl was a talented storyteller, and his great passion was sharing special moments with children as Santa for 30 years at the NorthPark Mall in Dallas," the obituary said. "Carl touched countless lives over his years at NorthPark and became a treasured member of many annual family traditions."
Anderson was born in Passaic, N.J., in 1953 and grew up in Florida and in Houston. He lived in Austin, where he graduated with a PhD in psychology from the University of Texas. He also taught as an adjunct professor at the university.
But it was in Dallas where he warmed the hearts of countless families and children each holiday season, serving as Santa at the popular NorthPark mall.
In 2019, WFAA did a story with a North Texas family that set out to make a documentary about Anderson's impact on their family's Christmas memories, which spanned multiple generations. And when we asked our Facebook followers to share their memories and photos with Anderson, our comments were filled with responses.
Anderson was preceded in death by his parents, Bertil and Dorothy Anderson. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Debbie and Ken Winkelmann, and his niece and nephew, Elizabeth and Kyle Winkelmann.