A 100-year-old World War II veteran has opened up in a video that has touched millions about the one person from his past he would most like to see again: his mom.
Jack Van Nordheim, or Uncle Jack as he is known to his followers, never married or had children, but what he did have was a special bond with his grandnephew, artist David Vonn.
“Uncle Jack and I became best friends when I was about 9 years old,” Vonn told Newsweek. “We forged our friendship hiking and exploring the desert trails of Southern California. While I reveled in play and wonder, he gently guided me, imparting knowledge about the wild things all around us.”
AskUncleJack
In 2008, following the death of his father, Vonn began caring for Uncle Jack on a full-time basis. It was tough and soon Vonn found himself “creatively finding ways to pay the bills.” That ultimately led to the creation of a GoFundMe for Uncle Jack in 2022, set up to help fund his care.
The GoFundMe, which spoke of Uncle Jack’s desire to fight “the loneliness” of life, touched a nerve with many and soon the social media accounts Vonn had created under the handle “Ask Uncle Jack,” which had been designed to support the fundraising, were blowing up.
He now boasts an audience of some 2 million followers across social media, with clips showcasing Uncle Jack’s art and poems alongside the wisdom and memories he has accumulated over his 100 years on Earth.
It’s there that Uncle Jack offered up arguably his most personal and powerful video to date—a clip that has garnered over 3.8 million views and counting.
Vonn asks Uncle Jack: “If there is anyone that you had in your past that you could spend one day with, who would it be and why?”
Looking off into the distance, Uncle Jack ponders the question before responding: “It’d probably be my mama.” Elaborating further, Uncle Jack explains that “she was lost because my father had died and I was trying to take care of her.”
Asked what he might say to her if she walked up right now, Uncle Jack replied: “I’d say ‘oh mama, thank you.’ I’d ask her where she had been and how she is.”
“I’d be so glad to see her,” he added. “She was lost when my father died.” Asked what his mom might say if she saw him now, he responded that she would likely say: “Jack, where have you been? I’ve been hunting for you.”
He imagined her responding: “Oh, I’ve been in the happy hunting ground. So everything is OK there.” Uncle Jack imagined himself replying: “Oh, goody, I’m going with you, OK?”
At this point, Uncle Jack breaks down, welling up at the thought of his mom. “It’s lonely,” he says. “They’ve always gotta leave and there I am, I’m in the cement world. I don’t care for a cement world.”
Uncle Jack told Newsweek how his dad, Grover Van Nordheim, a mechanic from Nebraska, had been the linchpin of his family, recalling how he was “kind, never cursed or raised his voice, and made a house filled with love.”
Sadly, Grover passed away suddenly in 1972, with Uncle Jack left to look after his mom, who was beginning to suffer from dementia.
The powerful and honest nature of his answer touched many. “I’m 72, and feeling alone tired of the cement world and miss my mom too,” one TikToker wrote, while another added: “Nobody prepares us for how lonely life can become as we get older. I’m far from 100 but I feel this.” A third promised: “You’ll see her again one day uncle jack.”
Vonn said they tend to create their videos “in the moment,” rather than starting with a clear idea in mind. He cited the emotional connection Uncle Jack makes with his followers as crucial to the clip’s success.
“When Uncle Jack truly takes in the moment, and decides on his ‘mama,’ you feel it,” he said. “I felt it. Tears instantly appeared for me and I had to hold them back. That’s my great-grandmother he’s referencing. At that moment, I could see her. I can feel her. I believe his followers are right there with us.”
Vonn said that Uncle Jack’s reaction was just as powerful for those watching on TikTok.
He said: “Seeing a 100-year-old feel this deeply about someone he’s lost, I believe almost instantly brings us all to that person we miss the most. Uncle Jack often speaks about his mom. She was his favorite. She understood him, and I believe she protected him.
“These types of conversations bring his inner child to life. His eyes gloss over, and he’s no longer 100 in the year 2023; he’s transformed into being a little boy holding his mama’s hand. And, for a moment, he’s not alone anymore.”
Vonn hopes people online will continue to connect with Uncle Jack’s content and the fresh perspective his wise old head brings on things. “When you’re scrolling between a huge variety of influencers, fighting for your attentions and all of sudden, there’s Uncle Jack, a centenarian, it really makes you pause and get real for one to two minutes,” Vonn said.