Jake Larson, a veteran who participated in the D-Day invasion at Omaha Beach in 1944, passed away on Thursday at his home in the San Francisco Bay Area at the age of 102. His death was confirmed by his granddaughter on his social media accounts.
Mr. Larson gained significant popularity on TikTok, where he had 1.2 million followers on his channel, “Story Time with Papa Jake,” and received over 11 million likes on his videos. His granddaughter noted that he “went peacefully and was even cracking jokes til the very end.”
As a Staff Sergeant, Larson was part of the 160,000 Allied troops who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, a pivotal moment in World War II that contributed to the liberation of Europe from Nazi control.
He began sharing his experiences on TikTok after his granddaughter created an account for him during the pandemic, with the first video posted in June 2020. Over the following months, he shared approximately 225 videos detailing his D-Day preparations, the invasion itself, and the aftermath, while also engaging with his followers by reading their letters and packages.
Born on December 20, 1922, in Hope, Minnesota, Larson enlisted in the National Guard at the age of 15 by concealing his true age. He was stationed in Northern Ireland in January 1942 as part of the Army V Corps, which played a crucial role in the D-Day invasion and other significant battles.
During the invasion, Larson recalled jumping into the frigid waters of Omaha Beach amid gunfire and hiding behind sand piles. He often reflected on his survival amidst the heavy losses suffered by his unit, expressing gratitude for his life and the luck he felt he had experienced.
In 2021, he published a memoir titled “The Luckiest Man in the World: Stories from the Life of Papa Jake.” Larson was the last surviving member of his company and expressed thankfulness for his long life, attributing his survival to a higher power.
His legacy includes not only his military service but also the stories he shared with a new generation through social media.