Crash kills Mrs. Claus actress; husband playing Santa hurt

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman who played Mrs. Claus on yearly holiday rounds with her husband as Santa has been killed in a traffic accident on an icy road.

The Des Moines Register reports 79-year-old Joyce Daniels was killed and her husband, 79-year-old Jack Daniels, was injured in the Saturday morning accident.

The St. Charles couple was heading home after playing Santa and Mrs. Claus at a bank in the town of Winterset.

Authorities say the vehicle hit ice on the road and rolled over once before landing upside-down in a ditch.

Jack’s brother, Larry Daniels, tells the newspaper Jack remains hospitalized with broken bones and other injuries.

He says the couple had been playing the holiday roles for at least 15 years.