Jake Larson, affectionately known as “Papa Jake,” has died at the age of 102, his granddaughter announced on his TikTok channel. A humble country boy from Owatonna, Minnesota, Larson became one of the nearly 160,000 Allied troops who stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day, June 6, 1944, surviving the harrowing German gunfire to reach the bluffs above the beach. He later fought through the brutal Battle of the Bulge before being awarded a Bronze Star and France’s Legion of Honor for his valor.
Larson lived a quiet life for decades in Lafayette, California. Then, in 2020, his granddaughter launched the “Story Time with Papa Jake” TikTok account. Through it, he shared vivid tales of wartime courage, the planning of Operation Overlord, and his enduring respect for those who gave their lives—always with a grin, a quick joke, and open arms. By the time of his passing, he had amassed 1.2 million followers, connecting generations through his recounting of history and his heartfelt message: “We are the lucky ones… We are their family.”
On July 17, 2025, Larson passed away peacefully, still cracking jokes to the very end, as his granddaughter McKaela Larson shared on social media. With his final sign-off, he left one last message to his audience: “Love you all the mostest.” Tributes poured in from across the United States and from Normandy itself, where he had returned multiple times to pay tribute to fallen comrades.
Nearly a century after lying about his age to enlist—just 15 years old—and helping assemble invasion plans from Northern Ireland, Papa Jake left this life as both a wartime hero and a modern-day storyteller. Though he refused the title of hero, insisting the real credit belonged to those who never made it home, his legacy endures. He reminded millions that freedom is precious, memory is sacred, and one man’s stories can keep history alive.
More than 16 million Americans served during WWII. 160 thousand stormed the beaches at Normandy on D-Day. Some 66 thousand WWII veterans are still living. An estimated 131 die every day.
