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About

Patriotic Kenny

American veteran and influencer (1942–2026)

Kenneth Jary, better known as Patriotic Kenny, was a United States Navy veteran and social media personality. Jary became a viral sensation from videos that he made with his neighbor, Amanda Kline, who his well-known catchphrase, "Oh my goodness, Amanda!" is referring to.

Patriotic Kenny

Patriotic Kenny
Born
Kenneth Jary

January 29, 1942 (1942-01-29)
St. Paul, Minnesota, US
Died (aged 84)
Minnesota, US
OccupationNavy veteran
Spouse
Carol Marsh
​
​
(m. 1965; div. 1988)​
Children3
Instagram information
Page
Followers978,000
TikTok information
Page
Years active2021-2026
Followers3.3 million

Kenneth Jary (January 29, 1942 – May 16, 2026), better known as Patriotic Kenny, was a United States Navy veteran and social media personality. Jary became a viral sensation from videos that he made with his neighbor, Amanda Kline, who his well-known catchphrase, "Oh my goodness, Amanda!" is referring to.

Early life, family and education

Kenneth Jary was raised in a military family in St. Paul, Minnesota near West Seventh Street.[1][2] Both his father (Army) and Uncle Jim (Navy) served during World War II. Jary joined the Navy Reserve in 1959[2] and graduated from Monroe High School, a year later. (The school's last graduating class was in 1979.)[3]

Military service and career

Jary during his Navy days

Jary joined the Navy Reserve in 1959[2] during high school. He subsequently served in the Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis on the USS Okinawa.[4] Jary continued active duty and served as a helicopter refueler until 1963.[5] Following his service, he worked for 32 years at the Ford Motor Company's Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul.[citation needed]

Amanda Kline and TikTok

Amanda Kline, a teacher at Metro Deaf School in St. Paul,[6] met Jary through a mutual friend in 2021[7] outside a coffee shop in Mahtomedi, Minnesota.[6] They became friends. Kline set up a TikTok account that featured Jary as "Patriotic Kenny". The premiere video showed Jary learning ASL to sign "Thank you" and "Hello" to his deaf friend Jerry.[5]

A month later, Kline uploaded a video sharing the news that Jary's mobility scooter had broken and he did not have the money to fix it. A GoFundMe campaign raised $5,000 within the first day. Jary's video response on September 19, 2021, received over 12.5 million views.[5] Within two days, the campaign raised over $100,000; prompting Kline and Jary to gift 10 free scooters to other veterans in need.[8] By 2022, the campaign had gifted 50 scooters to disabled veterans.[9][10] In a 2022 interview, Kline stated that she "tries to post a new video by 8 each night."[5] She is founder and content creator of @patriotickenny and co-founder of Did You Know That. "I kept getting messages from people, saying, 'I couldn’t go to bed last night because there wasn't a video'," Kline said. As of 2026, Patriotic Kenny has over 3 million followers on TikTok and over 900,000 on Instagram.[11] In 2023, Kline authored the children's book Kenny's Bright Red Scooter with illustrations by Julie Bourne.[12]

Illness and foundation

In a March 2026 video, Jary announced himself that he was suffering from stage 4 lung cancer.[13] Another GoFundMe campaign was launched by Kline to aid in raising funds for Jary toward medical treatment[14] and "funeral costs", according to Jary. Due to an overwhelming response from online fans and followers, funds exceeded expectations, prompting Jary, with the assistance of Kline, to "pay it forward"[4] by contributing to the Patriotic Kenny Foundation. The non-profit foundation provides mobility scooters to veterans: “free of red tape” and has given 50[15] to 200 scooters to veterans at no charge.[16] According to Kline, GoFundMe donations totaled $3,000 in the "first five minutes"; and in 20 hours, "people gave $147,000."[17] Coverage of the campaigns and foundation was featured on The Today Show,[13] The Kelly Clarkson Show,[18][10] On the Road with Steve Hartman,[9] NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight and Good Morning America.[19]

Personal life and death

Jary married Carol Marsh in 1965. They had three children and divorced in 1988, but remained close until Marsh's death in 2018. Jary's life-partner, Barbara Sanz, died in 2017.[5]

Jary died at his home[7] on May 16, 2026, at the age of 84 from lung cancer and congestive heart failure.[20][15][16]

References

  1. ↑ "Meet Patriotic Kenny, the 81-Year-Old Minnesota Navy Vet with 2.6M TikTok Followers". racketmn.com. November 10, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 Ammons, Abby (March 21, 2025). "Navy Reserve veteran 'Patriotic Kenny' finds TikTok stardom". reservenationalguard.com. Reserve & National Guard. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  3. ↑ Croman, John (June 19, 2019). "St. Paul school drops Monroe name". kare11.com. St. Paul, Minnesota: KARE. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "How a 79-year-old Navy veteran became a TikTok sensation". Today.com. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Divine, Mary (April 3, 2022). "How an 80-year-old Navy vet from Minnesota became a TikTok sensation". InForum. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Neutkens, Debra (September 1, 2021). "Patriotic Kenny: You can't miss the scooter". presspubs.com. Press Publications. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Chinman, Luke (May 19, 2026). "Influencer Patriotic Kenny's Close Friend Remembers His Final Days Before His Death from Stage 4 Lung Cancer (Exclusive)". people.com. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Broken-down mobility scooter propels Navy veteran to TikTok fame, tests limits of generosity". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  9. 1 2 "Navy veteran turns an act of kindness into a mission to provide mobility scooters to fellow vets". CBS News. November 11, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  10. 1 2 "MN TikTok star, Patriotic Kenny, expanding efforts to help fellow military veterans". kare11.com. KARE. November 11, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  11. ↑ Kelly, Brianna (March 26, 2026). "Celebrity veteran from Minnesota has terminal cancer, but promises to keep making videos". Bring Me the News. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  12. ↑ Kline, Amanda (2023). Kenny's Bright Red Scooter. Morgan James Publishing. ISBN 978-1636981352.
  13. 1 2 "Influencer Patriotic Kenny Reveals Stage 4 Lung Cancer Diagnosis in Emotional Video". Today.com. March 24, 2026. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  14. ↑ Chinman, Luke (March 26, 2026). "Influencer Patriotic Kenny Raises $200K for Treatment After Announcing 'Devastating' Stage 4 Lung Cancer Diagnosis". People. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Henderson, Eric (May 19, 2026). "'Patriotic Kenny,' Navy vet with 4 million TikTok followers, dies at 84, as per account". cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Fischer, Samantha (May 19, 2026). "Beloved MN veteran who found fame on TikTok dies at 84". kare11.com. KARE. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  17. ↑ Humbled and grateful and overwhelmed with love. @patriotickenny. Retrieved May 19, 2026 – via YouTube.
  18. ↑ Navy Veteran's TikTok Fans Surprise Him With New Mobility Scooter. The Kelly Clarkson Show. November 11, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2026 – via YouTube.
  19. ↑ Overwhelming response for veteran in need. Good Morning America. ABC. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  20. ↑ Chinman, Luke (May 18, 2026). "Influencer Patriotic Kenny Dies at Age 84 After Sharing Stage 4 Lung Cancer Diagnosis". People.com. Retrieved May 19, 2026.