Overview

• McKaela Larson announced on Instagram that her uncle passed peacefully on July 17 and asked for privacy as the family mourns.
• He enlisted in the National Guard at 15 in 1938, helped plan Operation Overlord and stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day before fighting in the Battle of the Bulge.
• After the war he settled in California with his wife, Lola, and published his 2021 memoir, L’uomo più fortunato del mondo: storie dalla vita di Papa Jake.
• In 2020 his niece launched the TikTok account storytimewithpapajake, which drew more than 1.2 million followers to his firsthand wartime recollections.
• The family continues to steward his social media and published works to ensure his experiences remain accessible to global audiences.