Shelter Island veteran celebrates 100th birthday: Paul Larsen served in World War II as an Air Force pilot

As the Island pauses to honor its military veterans on Friday, Nov. 11, the opportunity to personally thank those who served in World War II becomes a fleeting and cherished moment.

According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, only 167,284 of the 16 million Americans who served are alive in 2022, most of them in their 90s. Among those whose service helped win the war is the Island’s newest Centenarian, Paul F. Larsen, who celebrated his 100th birthday on Oct. 27.

As his family gathered at his home on Menantic Creek to celebrate the occasion, they recalled his military career and other highlights of his life.

Paul and his identical twin brother Peder were born at home in Caldwell, N.J. in 1922. Paul and Peder graduated from Caldwell High School and they both matriculated at Tusculum College in Greenville, Tenn. With the outbreak of World War II, the twins left college after a year and a half in 1942 and enlisted in the Army Air Force.

The twin brothers received their wings as pilots at the same time. The Air Force then separated the twins for the first time in their lives, sending Paul to the Pacific Theater and Peder to the European Theater.

Paul served with the 6th Emergency Rescue Squadron of the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific Theater, piloting a “Flying Boat” or PBY, with rescue flights ranging from the Philippines to Japan and Korea, flying air-sea rescue missions.

“It was go, go, go all the time,” he told Reporter columnist Richard Lomuscio in an interview three years ago, adding, “We’d cover all the way from the Philippines to Korea with all the different islands in between. When available, we’d call on the submarines to pick up persons when needed.”

One of his last flights was to take media photographers up and over Hiroshima and Nagasaki to photograph the devastation from the atomic bombs.

“The cities were pulverized,” he remembered.

After receiving his discharge from the Air Force in 1946, Paul returned to college, graduated in 1949 and joined the family insurance firm of P. Larsen and Sons in Montclair, N.J.  In 1955 he married Doris Clegg and they raised their three daughters, Alice (Deupree), Linda (McCarthy) and Suzan (Newcomb) in Montclair, spending weekends and summers on Shelter Island in the cottage they purchased in the 1960’s, next door to the original family cottage on Menantic Creek.

Paul’s family had acquired the property on the Creek in the 1930s. After the war, Paul, his father and his brothers bought a kit house from JC Penney. They put it together with help from local contractor Charlie Manwaring, Paul said.

Paul eventually purchased the house on adjoining property, where he lives now. One of his daughters summers in the original kit house. His daughter Linda lives here year round.

Reaching the century mark is a significant milestone, with just 0.0173% of Americans living to 100, according to census figures. Asked for the secret to his longevity, Paul said, “I always keep moving.” He added that he had always enjoyed boating on his cabin cruiser, fishing the waters around the Island.

Following retirement in the 1980’s, Paul and Doris split their time between Venice, Fla. and Shelter Island, moving permanently to the Island in 2015. Doris passed away five years ago.

Peder Larsen passed away 17 years ago. His son Peder continues in the family business, Shelter Island Sand, Gravel and Contracting, with his daughter Meg, who is also a member of the Town Council.

Paul is happy to have his family nearby with daughter Linda’s family just down the road and Alice’s family next door. Generations of the Larsens’ family have now been knit into the fabric of Shelter Island. Paul’s grandson, Lucas Deupree, works at the Shelter Island Historical Society.

His granddaughter, Morgan McCarthy, works at Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty in the Heights.

Paul has a lifelong love and appreciation of Shelter Island that he’s passed on to his family. He enjoyed visits from family and friends throughout the day and the weekend of his birthday as many gathered to visit and celebrate with him.

This continues our series on Islanders who have reached the century mark in age and those who are approaching the milestone.