LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- He straps on the belt and tops it off with a hat and in that moment, Walt Queen becomes Santa.
You can spot him just about anywhere throughout Kentuckiana, from the Bass Pro Shop in Clarksville to the Galt House in Louisville.
"So often, people say, do you, are you...do you play Santa?" Walt laughed.
Known to many in the area as "Santa Walt," he's provided childhood memories to thousands of believers for the last decade, but you'll have to look much further than that to understand why.
"You never get over it. There's always an empty place there," Walt said.
It happened Aug. 10, 1989. Walt's two daughters, ages 18 and 20, were headed home from work when tragedy struck.
"When they entered Spaghetti Junction through hospital curve, a truck going northbound dropped a load of [junk] cars on the southbound lane. They took a direct hit," Walt said.
The crash killed three on impact, including a Louisville nurse and Walt's oldest daughters, Jill and Jackie Queen.
"After Jackie and Jill died, the first Christmas, we put our tree up and left it there for ten years and the lights did not go out not one time," Barbara Queen, Walt's wife, said.
Through grief and heartache came an idea that sparked Walt's imagination. And no doubt, the beard, also played a part.
"That really was when my heart felt the calling to become a Santa," Walt said.
That was ten years ago.
"I think the giving back has helped me with the loss," Walt said. "There's always more reward for giving than receiving and when I look into the eyes of the little children and see the joy and happiness I bring to them, it's such a blessing to me."
Lately, Santa Walt has run into health issues, taking time off from his job and fearing foreclosure because of it. His home has been in the family since the 1950s. It's where he met his wife as a student at Eastern High School, raised their four children and welcomed seven grandchildren on any given day.
"I don't like to share my misery with other people, but for some reason, I felt a compulsion to share with him," Walt said.
After hearing his story, Darrell Wimsatt, a co-worker decided to give back to the man who's given so much to others, creating a GoFundMe page in hopes of collecting $2,000 to help save Santa's house, the minimum needed to keep it.
"To me it would be like, almost the same feeling as losing our daughters. Because it's so much a part of us," Walt said.
Little did Walt know just how loved he was. Within two days, that account surged passed $5,000 and it only continues to grow, spreading the magic of the holidays in the middle of June.
"Every gift was really an act of love. It was people showing their love for us," Walt said.
As of Tuesday, the account had raised more than $7,000. You can help Santa by visiting that site.
