A late-in-life star of TikTok, a resident of Lafayette, and one of the country's last surviving veterans of the D-Day invasion of Normandy, "Papa Jake" Larson, died late last week at the age of 102.
"Papa Jake" was a rare commodity when, late last year, he turned 102 and boasted nearly 1 million followers on TikTok who enjoyed his humble, first-hand accounts of D-Day and World War II like the one below, and generally cheerful nature. His social media fame resulted in a deluge of birthday cards from fans, thanks to pleas put out over several years from his granddaughter, McKaela Larson.
@storytimewithpapajake HELP SHARE PAPA JAKES STORY 🇺🇸❤️ #dday #veteran #worldwar2 #papajake #soldier #foryou #fyp #xyzbca #normandy #omaha ♬ original sound - Papa Jake
He ultimately would gain 1.2 million followers by the time of his death, and as KTVU reports, he passed away Thursday, July 17.
"Please know, he went peacefully and was even cracking jokes til the very end," McKaela Larson wrote in a memorial post to TikTok. "I am so thankful to have shared my Papa Jake with you all. You meant the world to him. When the time is right, I will continue to share Papa Jake's stories and keep his memory alive."
She adds, "As Papa would say, love you all the mostest."
Jake Larson was born on December 20th, 1922, in Owatonna, Minnesota, and as the Associated Press recounts, he enlisted in the National Guard in 1938, lying about his age because he was only 15 at the time. After being stationed in Northern Ireland and helping to plan the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach, he would end up being one of the 160,000 Allied troops who stormed the beach on June 6, 1944.
Larson was also a soldier in the Battle of the Bulge, in Belgium and Luxembourg, and he would later earn a Bronze Star and a French Legion of Honor award.
He traveled to D-Day commemorations many times over the decades, and last year, at age 101, he encountered TV journalist Christiane Amanpour. Her interview with Larson went on to win an Emmy for outstanding TV interview, short form, and he celebrated the win in this video, showing off his own Emmy trophy.
In March, Larson was invited to throw out the first pitch at a San Francisco Giants game at Oracle Park.
You can see Amanpour's interview with Papa Jake below.
