Hide Article Text (OCR)
❖ Our Everyday People ❖The Claus effectCouple spreads joy during holiday seasonBy KATHIE BASSETTThe TelegraphKnown affectionately as Mr and Mrs Claus of Wood River. William S and Joyce Albrecht still have people come up to them and ask them if they are this celebrated coupleWith his white hair and beard and her snow-white hair pulled back into a bun. this perception seems like a natural one-When we started dressing up. I weighed close to 190 pounds, so I looked closer to the part than I do now,* he said “Some friends asked if we could take over for them, and we enjoyed doing this ”The couple, now in their 80s. began to put in appearances at parties, schools, nursing homes and churches in 1985, gradually becoming a larger part of their lives as they added more events to their schedule each yearThe joy they brought to children and families prompted them to have an open house every Christmas and invite the whole community to attend. sometimes attracting as many as 500 for the afternoon “We would decorate the house from floor to ceiling,” Joyce Albrecht said “We had a tree in every room including the bathroom but nothing w'as overly elaborate — it was all things I had acquired over the years.”They said people were invited to look around at their decorations and that they would sit by the front door so that they could talk to their guests w'hen they finishedFor The TelegraphWilliam S and Joyce Albrecht began to put in appearances as Mr and Mrs Claus at parties, schools, nursing homes and churches in the mid-1980s inset The Albrechts in costume“We would tell the kids that Santa would try his best to bring them what they wanted but not to count on any one particular thing,” she said “We told them that we w’ere sure that they would get something that would bring them happiness ”One of their most memorable Christmases was when they donned their costumes to visit some of their children in Florida and boarded the plane in full Christmas regalia“We w'anted to do this for the fun of it,” she said “We just had a ball — the pilot of the plane even got on the speaker and told everyone that there were VIPs on the flight ”The couple had a stopover in Atlanta, so they decided to go to the USO club at the airport to see some of the servicemen returning home from overseasMarried for 38 years, each partner has children from a previous marriage, with theircombined clans numbering seven children, 16 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildrenA lifelong resident of Wood River, Robert Albrecht has witnessed many changes in the area He worked for 48 years as an operating engineer, beginning at Wood River Refinery in the 1940s and staying with that firm throughout his career as different companies acquired it.Both insist they received more blessings than they gave in their roles as ambassadors for the holiday season“When we visited a facility in Livingston, there was a man in a wheelchair who wouldn’t let any of the aides help him walk over to see us,” he said “He had never walked on his own before and I'll never forget that — he gives me courage to this day.”Both are touched by how people have remembered them, especially adults who saw them many years agoSend your Our Everyday People ideas fo Telegraph Executive Editor Dan Brannan, PO Box 278, Alton, IL 62002, e-mad Brannan at dprannan@thetelegraph com or call at 463-2560
Newspaper Details
Alton Telegraph
Alton, Illinois, US
Thu, Dec 23, 2010
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Hayner P.
IL, USA 12 Dec 2023
Other Publications Near Alton, Illinois
Alton Evening Telegraph
Alton Observer
Labor World
Alton Weekly Telegraph
Alton Telegraph and Democratic review
