Temecula's 'Mrs. Claus,' Bea Taylor, Dies At 90

TEMECULA, CA – Bea Taylor, known by thousands of Temecula residents as "Mrs. Claus," died Dec. 17, 2017, of a heart attack in Encinitas. She was 90.

Taylor was born Beatrice May Dawson March 9, 1927, in Ohio. Her parents, Thelma and Frank, later moved to Chula Vista, where they built a nursery business.

Taylor, who loved to dance, met her first husband, Navy sailor Gardner Wade, at a USO dance. They had two children, Vera and Bruce. The couple divorced, and Taylor later met Robert Taylor at a "Parents Without Partners" dance. They were married in a civil ceremony while the children were in school.

Taylor ran a gift store in Torrance for many years. She and her husband eventually moved to Temecula and quickly became fixtures as the town greeters. They would dress in period costumes from Temecula's early days and walk around town greeting visitors while distributing Bob Taylor's hand-drawn maps.

The Taylors were best known as Santa and Mrs. Claus during the Christmas season. From the early 1980s until 1997, the couple greeted thousands of children, posed for pictures and listened to Christmas wishes.

Taylor loved the arts. She was an accomplished watercolor artist and part of the Temecula Art League. She also wove baskets and crocheted items that were donated to newborns at the local hospital.

Both Bea and Bob Taylor were performers at heart. They participated in the local theater where Bea Taylor would perform and sing and Bob Taylor often served as stage manager.

Taylor was recuperating from a broken ankle at a skilled nursing facility in Encinitas when she died.

She is survived by her daughter, Vera Michaels, her son, Bruce Wade, her stepsons, Bill and Ron Taylor, and five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Taylor's life will be held at 2 p.m. Feb. 25 at the Temecula Community Center at 28816 Pujol St. in Temecula.

Photos via Bea Taylor's family