Brookfield Man Restores Sleigh From 1891 For Late Mother

BROOKFIELD, WI—A Brookfield man is spreading holiday cheer with a sleigh from the year 1891 and the community's help after his mother's death.

Bob Fuchs' mother, who died on Oct. 9 at 82, loved Christmas despite growing up in a large struggling family. Kathleen Fuchs' siblings didn't have much and felt excited when they would open up new shoes or clothes on Christmas.

"My mother always vowed when she got older and had kids that she would give them the Christmas she never got," Fuchs told Patch.

Despite the changing economy over the decades, his mother always made the holidays amazing.

Fuchs said she had a tradition of announcing Santa by going in the other room and shouting, "Ho Ho Ho," and slamming the door.

She would tell her children they just missed Santa Claus. The Fuchs family would open presents on Christmas Eve because his mom couldn't wait that long till Christmas, he laughed.

"That was her big holiday," Fuchs said.

Santa's sleigh is on its way

As an adult, Fuchs dressed up as Santa Claus on a number of occasions to his mom's delight. He even worked as Santa at Bayshore Mall in the 90s. Last year, he donned a red suit and showed up at his mother's nursing home.

His mother became ill in February shortly before the pandemic. The visiting restrictions at nursing homes due to the coronavirus left his mom feeling lonely and isolated, Fuchs said.

Fuchs' mother knew Christmas was coming and she wouldn't live to see it, he said.

Hesitant to be cheerful as his mother was dying, she reminded him of the elderly alone in nursing homes and children who can't see their friends at school. She encouraged Fuchs to spread cheer in a socially distanced way.

She gave her son an idea of using a sleigh and trailer to make sure he keeps socially distanced from people.

"That might be doable," Fuchs recalled telling her.

He went on the Facebook marketplace and found a sleigh in Juneau.

"This sleigh was really dry-rotted and old but I bought it anyway," Fuchs said.

It was shattered in pieces by the time he got it home, but thanks to the Sunset Playhouse in Elm Grove, he was able to fix it up in six weeks. A volunteer and actor at the playhouse, he was given a workshop area and some volunteers to assist him.

Fuchs was also grateful for Brookfield Self-Storage which gave him space for the project.

Santa's helpers

Fuchs told Patch he couldn't have restored the sleigh and bought the trailer without support from the community.

Fuchs is a student supervisor at Brookfield Central and owns a DJ company, which has been hit hard by the pandemic. With the community's help, Fuchs raised $1,500 for the project through a Facebook fundraiser.

He told Patch the donations still haven't stopped and are being used to buy gifts for families and nursing homes, cub scouts, and other events all over Wisconsin.

Friends from social media are helping him by offering to drive or go with him to deliver gifts. Fuchs dubbed this group of do-gooders, the sleigh team.

"When we go to nursing homes, I make signs that say you are not forgotten and you are loved," Fuchs said.

Fuchs does five visits daily with his sleigh and he will continue to do this even after the pandemic.

"It is wonderful and has helped with my grieving process," he told Patch.

While his mom was the catalyst for the sleigh, it has brought the community together.

"This has become a community endeavor," he said.

Fuchs will appear as Santa at 1 p.m. Dec. 19 at Heritage Place, 17560 W. North Ave., Brookfield.

'I feel her with me'

Fuchs said he and his sister inherited their mother's Christmas ornaments. He told Patch he put up a special tree with just her ornaments.

One of the ornaments is one he made in grade school: a photo of him and his mom in a wooden frame.

"You can't even see who is in the picture anymore but it is still very important," Fuchs said.

When driving around the sleigh, Fuchs also plays music and puts on lights. He remembered his mom's love for the Nat King Cole song, "The Christmas Song" and "Oh, come, all ye faithful."

Fuchs said since his mother's death, he has felt her presence. When the sleigh was still being restored, Fuchs stopped to snap a picture. The photo shows the sleigh and a ray of light beaming down. Fuchs said from then on he felt his mom was at his side.

"I feel her with me," he said.