Nate Doan
“The Original Santa of Bay City”
Bay City, Michigan
1919 – 1997
International Santa Claus Hall of Fame Charter Member – December 2010
Nate Doan – Bay City, Michigan
Thomas “Nate” Doan II, brought joy to thousands over more than 40 years, carrying on a family legacy rooted in service and community. A 1953 graduate of the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School, he would go on to become Dean of the School in 1966 following Howard’s death.
His dedication to Bay City ran deep. For more than three decades, he served as Santa at Goddeyne’s Sporting Goods and Hardware Store, from 1954 until the store closed in 1987.
Together with his wife, Mary Ida, Doan became a regional institution as one of the first Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus teams, appearing at civic and private Christmas events throughout Michigan and across the country.
In 1967, Nate and Mary Ida traveled to Australia to teach special Santa classes. In the early 1990s, the couple founded the Santa Claus House in Bay City for local children. His decades of Santa and community work earned recognition in the Congressional Record of the 103rd Congress.
To those who knew him, Nate Doan’s generosity, kindness, and warmth were not just seasonal gestures. For more than 50 years, many considered Santa Claus his true persona.
Doan died April 1, 2020, in Petoskey, Michigan. He was 61.
