He played Santa Claus since the 1970's, with 18 of those years at the Wayne Towne Center.
PATERSON -- When Ray Beesley donned the red cap, jacket and wire-rimmed glasses, the wait for a visit and photo with the beloved North Jersey Santa could stretch for hours.
Ray Beesley amassed a huge following in North Jersey. (Steve Hockstein | Inside Jersey) Beesley built such a huge following in his portrayal of St. Nick over the past four decades, that people asked for him by name.
"I always say he was the rock stars of Santas in our area," said John Fernicola, owner of Fairfield Garden Center, Beesley's holiday home for the past eight years. "They just know him, not as Santa, but as the Ray Beesley Santa."
Beesley, of Paterson, died Friday at the age of 65. Beesley is survived by his wife, six children and five grandchildren.
The Santa chair in the Christmas Ice Cavern display at the garden center remained empty this weekend. Fernicola said the phones have been ringing off the hook since the news of Beesley's death spread.
Fernicola said his fondest memory of Beesley came two years ago, when young children, ages 4 and 6, sat on his lap and told Santa their Christmas wish was to see their dad, who was serving in the U.S. Army. Their father then emerged from behind the display.
"The kids went crazy," Fernicola said. "It was a big thing, and it was very special."
Beesley was known to many as the Santa in the Wayne Towne Center, where he portrayed St. Nick for 18 years before the mall closed in 2008.
Beesley's roots in the community run deep. He's been playing Santa since the 70s, visiting hospitals, churches, scouting troops and other fundraising organizations.
He launched a website to keep people informed of his appearances and posted holiday hours when he would be posing for photos in a Victorian Santa suit.
Over the years, he amassed a huge following in North Jersey, to the point where even in the off-season, he was recognizable.
At summer sporting events in New Jersey, Beesley donned a Hawaiian vacation shirt, red shorts and boat shoes as he strutted around the stadiums of the Jersey Jackals and the Somerset Patriots. In return for his services, Beesley requested tickets for wheelchair-bound kids.
Beesley told the Star-Ledger's Inside Jersey Magazine in 2015 that he also made appearances at weddings.
"After the couple had their kiss, and before they walked back down the aisle, I walked up in my white Santa outfit," he said of his seventh wedding. "I came up the center aisle. People were amazed. Inside those little white packages were silver bells. They all started ringing their bells. The farther I got up the aisle, the louder the bells got."
He said in the same Inside Jersey interview that the benefit of playing St. Nick is immeasurable. "I get joy," Beesley said. "I'm so lucky."
The Santa setup at Jody's Silk Florist, which is inside the Fairfield Home and Garden Center Plaza, is run by Beesley's daughter, Christine, who takes the photos. The 32-year-old has been taking pictures of her father as Santa since she was 19, according to a report in the Bergen Record. She previously had a photo studio in the Wayne Towne Center, Fernicola told NJ Advance Media.
St. Bonaventure Catholic Church announced funeral services would be Friday and Saturday at the church in Paterson.
"It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of one of our long-time parishioners Ray Beesley," the church wrote on its Facebook page. "Ray was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and member of this parish community."
A viewing will be held from 2 to 8 p.m. on Friday at the church and a Mass will be held Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
Fernicola said the family will hand-pick Beesley's replacement, and the Christmas photos will continue on Dec. 12.
But the new Santa Claus has big shoes to fill, Fernicola said.
"It's not Ray. Ray was Ray. They didn't come for Santa, they came here to see Ray," he said. "He had a huge following."
Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.