Lynn Hendrix

Beloved Santa Claus at Omaha's Regency Court dies

Short Takes by Marjie Ducey – Omaha World Herald - June 15, 2025

Lynn Hendrix Sr., a beloved figure as Santa Claus at Regency Court for several years, has died.

Lynn Hendrix Sr. didn’t know whether he’d be able to handle all the kids and the crowds when he first took his post as Santa at Regency Court more than a decade ago. His late wife, Jackie, who played Mrs. Claus, persuaded him to take on the role. Lynn Hendrix Sr. once said he became Santa when he played the role.

Hendrix was at his post from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve for more than a decade, working with photographers Mary Kay Ficenec and her son Bobby. They thought he would be the perfect Santa. He looked the part, with flowing white locks and a beard, neither of which he’d cut since he took on the job.

From the start, though, he loved seeing the look in the children’s eyes when they spotted Santa. Even the parents’ faces light up, he said.

“I put the Santa suit on, and I am Santa,” Hendrix once told The World-Herald. “I honestly feel that. You have to be to do the job.”

His daughter, Kristina Martinez, said playing Mr. and Mrs. Claus brought her parents a great deal of joy.

“It’s a blessing to see the community turn around and give it back to him during such a hard time,” she said.