Leonard B. Boris, 82, romantic husband and mysterious Santa Claus

The young Leonard J. Boris enjoyed playing pinball at the ice cream parlor down the street from his Camden home. He also kept an eye on the owner's daughter, Lorraine, who would become his teenage bride.

Their love endured through 65 years of marriage, and they raised four children in Cherry Hill, where Mr. Boris served as a volunteer fireman and a crossing guard, and once dressed as Ben Franklin at Horace Mann Elementary School, where his wife worked as a teacher's aide.

On Sunday, March 12, Mr. Boris, 82, died at ManorCare in Voorhees, where he was being treated for several health issues, including heart disease.

His wife recalled that Mr. Boris, who moved to Camden with his family when he was about 9, was smitten when he asked her on a date to see a movie.

"That was a big deal back then," Lorraine Boris said. The two married as teens and Mr. Boris worked hard providing for his family, she said. Mr. Boris served for about 12 years in the Navy Air Reserve, his family said, and he worked many jobs. At times he worked on machines, and later in management positions for several companies, including Acme Staple Co., Hussmann Refrigeration, and the Franklin Mint.

At the Franklin Mint, Mr. Boris bought his wife a ring that had been made there and engraved the words, "We were not too young at all."

Mr. Boris, the youngest of eight siblings, first lived in the coal mining community of Mount Carmel, Pa. His parents, Joseph and Frances, were Lithuanian immigrants. Joseph Boris, a coal miner, died when inside an abandoned mine that collapsed, said granddaughter Linda Boris. The older siblings sought work in Camden to care for the rest of the family.

Mr. Boris adored his four children. In addition to Linda, the couple had Christine Codan and Cynthia Liljeblad, and son Daniel. Whenever they could, Lorraine Boris said, the family would take road trips to the mountains or the Shore.

The family also loved celebrating Christmas. Mr. Boris would dress as Santa. After the children were sleeping, Mrs. Boris would film "Santa" arriving, placing gifts under the tree, and leaving. One year, as Linda Boris questioned whether it was Dad who was playing Santa,  the movie featured both Mr. Boris playing Santa and then, out of costume, pointing to where St. Nick was.

For many years, Mr. Boris was a volunteer firefighter for Cherry Hill's Ashland Fire Company No. 2, where he served as assistant fire chief.  After retiring from his full-time management job at a recycling firm, he worked as a school crossing guard.  On holidays, he dressed in costumes -- one Halloween as an angel with wings made of cardboard.

Linda Boris recalled that her father, who had suffered a heart attack earlier in life, wore the angel costume into his doctor's office with a sign that read,  "If not for Dr. Singer these wings would be real."

Services will be from 11 a.m. to noon Friday, March 17, at the Healey Funeral Home, 1816 Haddonfield-Berlin Rd., Cherry Hill. A memorial service will follow.

Donations may be made to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, P.O. Drawer 498, Emmitsburg, Md. 21727, or online at https:/www.firehero.org/donate.