Editor’s note: This story was updated after a previous version incorrectly spelled Bret Liechty’s first name. We regret the error.

OGDEN — Mike Wiggill learned to be a true Santa Claus.

Wiggill, 57, who died of brain cancer Monday morning, Feb. 20, is remembered by those who knew him best as someone who embodied Santa’s attributes.

Recognized as a man who looked like the “Jolly Old Elf,” the Pleasant View resident played Santa at Ogden’s Christmas Village and elsewhere.

People say he took on Santa’s characteristics as he spread the Christmas spirit until his dying days.

“He looked the part. He acted the part. He lived the part. He was a truly wonderful man,” said Jay Lowder, public service director for Ogden City. “It’s a big loss for the village.”

“It’s always helpful if you look like Santa but even more if you have a heart like Santa,” said Craig Bielik, a member of the Christmas Village organizing committee.

While a cancer diagnosis last fall cut Wiggill’s Santa career short, his giving nature did not stop.

“It was hard for me to understand that he was as ill as he was because he was so happy,” Bielik said, noting Wiggill adopted Santa’s laugh and sported a twinkle in his eye.

Wiggill was featured in this year’s downtown Ogden Electric Light Parade and opening of Christmas Village.

“He was so cute with the Make-A-Wish child,” Bielik said of Wiggill’s yearly turning on the Christmas Village lights with that child. “We have to wait back stage for a half an hour. Mike always made it a party for that person.”

In his private life, Wiggill worked as a Realtor and was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Bret Liechty, of Pleasant View, said he was in the same LDS ward as Wiggill for much of the last two decades.

“I would always go to Mike when I needed someone to make me laugh,” Liechty said. “He always had a really good joke to tell. Every time I saw him, I would poke him in his belly and he would laugh like the Pillsbury Dough boy.”

Liechty said Wiggill was caring and humble. “He would drop anything to help someone out,” he said.

“He was such a caring individual,” said Ginny Brimley, a personal friend. “He brought light to this world.”

PHOTOS: The 2016 Electric Light Parade

“All of our 22 grand kids know him as Santa,” said Debbie Jones, who until recently lived in North Ogden. “Mike Wiggill was the real deal.”

To know him was to love him, she said. “He was a genuine friend. He would stop by and make sure everything was okay. We loved him.”

Wiggill always had candy for everyone, said Keith Stubbs, owner of Wiseguys Comedy Club in Ogden. “He always had such a jovial laugh and happy disposition — a true Santa Claus. He often would participate in the comedy hypnosis shows dressed up as Santa to the delight of everyone on stage.”

“Mike is one of the most giving and charitable people on earth,” said a GoFundMe.com site that raised $4,255 for Wiggill’s medical expenses. 

Weber County Commissioner Kerry Gibson said he met Wiggill 13 years ago.

“He was very engaged in his community and making his community a better place,” Gibson said.

A Republican delegate, Gibson said Wiggill was engaged on a high level. He had strong, passionate opinions and was proactive, Gibson said. He didn’t just complain about circumstances. He offered solutions.

He didn’t save Santa for Christmas, Gibson said.

“It became his mission in life to take on those characteristics that would make people happy and smile,” Gibson said.

His kind, caring nature came out when Wiggill first posted a Facebook message about his cancer, Gibson said. “He basically said ‘I have cancer. Don’t feel sorry for me. A lot of people have gone through this. I know the Lord has a plan for me. Be happy for what that plan is for each and every one of us.'”

The post — at a time when life must have been difficult — was proof that playing Santa wasn’t an act, Gibson said.

“To me, there is a connection with a person who gave like he did and enjoyed life,” Gibson said. “It seems to me like a recipe for real happiness, given the type of service he gave. That became who he was.”

You may reach reporter JaNae Francis at jfrancis@standard.net or 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at @JaNaeFrancisSE or like her on Facebook at facebook.com/SEJaNaeFrancis.