William Howard Foulkrod

William “Bill” Foulkrod, also known to thousands of delighted children as Santa Bill, traded in his IBM badge and sleigh bells for angel wings at 5am, Tuesday June 10th, 2025, passing away peacefully at the age of 82.

Bill was a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who was always quick to unleash a roaring laugh, a quick joke, and a recommendation to keep the oil changed in your car. He was the only the only natural bearded Santa Claus who could explain IBM Token Ring architecture in layman’s terms.

Born in Washington, DC on February 4th, 1943, Bill served in US Army Reserves and started his career at IBM by fixing key punches and ending by leading Architecture for the Token Ring products, and provided technical support across 19 countries across Europe. His colleagues knew him as the guy who could fix anything with a keyboard and a punchline.

After retiring from 30 years at IBM, Bill didn’t slow down. Instead, he retired into volunteering for Hospice & Made for Me, and his pure joy becoming Santa Claus to unleash a jolly laugh and wink, Bill brought joy, magic, and plenty of candy canes to children’s events, hospitals, and hearts all over.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Caro Turner Foulkrod, his three children Wren (& Stuart) Routledge, Allin(& Barbara) Foulkrod and Mark (& Mai) Foulkrod, 7 grandchildren (Nik, Anna, Devin, Makayla, Laila, Brogan, Jordan) and 8 great grandchildren.

A celebration of Bill’s life will be held Thursday, June 12th at 1:45 pm at Pine Forest Memorial Gardens in Wake Forest (770 Stadium Drive, Wake Forest, NC 27587). Please be advised, the walk to the gravesite is woody and uneven. Afterwards, the family will be hosting a reception at a family home in Wildwood Green.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to donate to Transitions LifeCare, 250 Hospice Circle, Raleigh, NC 27607 or a charity of your choice.