NORTH BARRINGTON - Vernon Hagenbring, 99, was born on July 21, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois to Henry and Agnes (nee Carlson) Hagenbring. He passed away as he wished, at home, in his sleep on Friday, December 2, 2016. The last Mr. Hagenbring, better known as Vern or Santa, will be missed by many. He lived a beautiful, giving and elegant life. Owner of Hagenbring's in downtown Arlington Heights which he took over from his father's reigns during WW2, he and his beautiful wife of 65 years, Trudy, transformed the dime store into what many will remember as Hagenbring' s fine fabric and children's wear on the corner of Vail and Campbell Streets. The store remained a major destination until it closed in 1998. Hagenbring bought his first and favorite antique car, a 1911 Knox, in 1952 as a pile of junk. He restored it into an award-winning auto including grand champion at Greenfield Village, and then touring over 100,000 miles. He was a founding and an active member of many antique auto clubs until his death. After his retirement, Vern set about making a huge Christmas Village light display complete with a direct mail link to Santa, which he would assemble every year on his property in North Barrington. A continuation of the many years he posed as Santa in the store in the 50's and 60's. Vernon is survived by his daughters Melodee (Robert) Russow, Starr (Paul Wilcox) and Kristi Hagenbring; his grandsons, Randy (Laura) Russow, and Tim (Vicki Dekker) Russow; and his great-grandsons Joe and Tom Russow. He was preceded in death by his wife, Trudy and his parents. Visitation from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm with funeral service at 7:00 pm, Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at Glueckert Funeral Home, Ltd., 1520 N. Arlington Heights Road (four blocks south of Palatine Road), Arlington Heights, IL 60004. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to the Antique American Automobile Car Club, c/o Glueckert Funeral Home. Monies will then be directed to one of several destinations under consideration towards scholarships for the study of the history and restoration of the American Automobile. Funeral information and condolences can be given at www.GlueckertFH.com or 847-253-0168.