I'm 84 and just got my first tattoo — cross items off your bucket list

Kenny Jary is an 84-year-old Navy veteran in Minnesota who shares positivity online through his Patriotic Kenny account. He had long wanted a tattoo but kept putting it off. In 2021 he met Amanda Kline and Jenny Cooper through a local coffee shop owner, and they later recognized him by the scooter he’d decorated with American flags.

The two women surprised him on his birthday and flew him to San Diego, where Joey Hamilton from TLC’s Ink Masters did the tattoo. Jary chose a small Navy-themed design: an anchor, three stars for Minnesota, and three rings to represent his three children and their trio.

He said it didn’t hurt and felt like a child scratching. Jary believes it’s never too late to cross items off a bucket list. Trying things he’d always wanted — traveling, flying on big planes, meeting new people, speaking in front of crowds, sharing his story online, and now getting a tattoo — has made him feel proud, alive, and still growing.

United States, Minnesota

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