For more than a decade, the presence of the bearded man with the raccoon-skin cap and eye patch, hooting and hollering at guests as they passed through the woods on a small train, was a frightful one.

But deep down, everybody loved Bill “Wolfman’’ Farrand.

On Tuesday night, staff from Clark’s Trading Post in Lincoln, N.H., announced on Facebook that Farrand, who played the role of the rascally and iconic “Wolfman’’ at the family theme park, has died. He was 60.

Clark’s Trading Post, which opened in 1928, features a train ride complete with the raggedy hermit known as the “Wolfman,’’ who chases down families on the tour. Farrand held the part from 1993 until 2008, when he retired.

Park owners described him as “a kind, gentle soul,’’ despite his rugged appearance while in character, a job he took seriously as he went above and beyond to entertain families on the park’s Mountain Central Railroad.

The Facebook post about Farrand’s passing was shared more than 17,500 times as of Wednesday morning, as people who had visited Clark’s Trading Post as kids — or brought their own children to the theme park when Farrand was at the helm as the Wolfman — recalled his efforts to add a unique twist to the train ride attraction. “He has entertained thousands of people,’’ one person wrote, “and will be remembered.’’

Maureen Clark, one of the bear trainers at Clark’s Trading Post, said in a telephone interview that of all the people who have played Wolfman since the character became a permanent fixture of the park in 1983, Farrand was the epitome of the character. “He was the measuring stick by which the other Wolfmen are measured,’’ she said. “He is the one that we aimed for; he was the ultimate Wolfman. Everybody loved him.’’

In fact, Farrand was so good at his job — one he embodied “24/7/365,’’ even when he wasn’t at Clark’s Trading Post — that the theme park owners created a “Wolfman 101’’ training video based on how Farrand conducted himself. The video is still used to teach other Wolfmen who take on the role how to best entertain guests as they go after the steam-powered train during the 2½-mile tour. In 2016, after Clark’s Trading Post held open auditions to find someone to play the unkempt recluse with a bushy beard, the new Wolfman had to watch the video to learn from Farrand’s example.

“Bill, he was the favorite,’’ Clark said. “He just had all these little sayings, you know, like, ‘I’m gonna get ya, you pigeon-lickin’ city-slickin’ hodags!’ ’’

Steve Annear can be reached at steve.annear@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @steveannear.