“Papa Jake” Larson, the World War II veteran who was involved in the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France and later became a TikTok celebrity, has died at the age of 102.
Larson’s death on July 17 at his home in the San Francisco Bay area was announced by his granddaughter, McKaela Larson, on social media.
“Our beloved Papa Jake has passed away on July 17th at 102 years young,” she wrote. “Please know, he went peacefully and was even cracking jokes til the very end. At this time, the family and I ask for some privacy as we process this loss."
Larson was born on Dec. 20, 1922 in Owatonna, Minnesota, coming of age during the Great Depression. According to the Best Defense Foundation, he lied about his age and enlisted in the National Guard when he was 15 in 1938.
After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, Larson’s Guard unit was transferred to federal service. By January of 1942, Larson was in Northern Ireland, where he became an operations sergeant and helped plan D-Day. On June 6, 1944, he stormed the beaches of Normandy and would go on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge.
Following the war, Larson and his wife, Lola, settled in California, where they raised their family.
McKaela Larson started a TikTok account for her grandfather, “storytimewithpapajake” in 2020, which now has more than 1.2 million followers.
"I am so thankful to have shared my Papa Jake with you all. You meant the world to him,” she wrote, “When the time is right, I will continue to share Papa Jake’s stories and keep his memory alive. We appreciate all the kind words and posts. As Papa would say, love you all the mostest."
In 2021, Larson wrote his autobiography, "The Luckiest Man in the World: Stories from the life of Papa Jake." Over the years, Larson also returned to Normandy for several D-Day anniversaries and memorial celebrations.
"We are the lucky ones," Larson told The Associated Press at the 81st anniversary of D-Day in June. "They had no family. We are their family. We have the responsibility to honor these guys who gave us a chance to be alive."
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.