The internet is in love with this grandpa on his first day of assisted living

When Brianna Patz's grandfather Jerry Roszak moved into an assisted living facility, she wanted him to feel supported. So, she invited TikTok along for the first day of his new chapter and now everyone is rooting for him.

The 23-year-old shared a TikTok video of Roszak walking into a senior living facility in Green Bay, Wisconsin. "First day of assisted living. I hope he makes many friends," she wrote as the caption, adding, "Please be kind to him."

The video has more than 34 million views and thousands of comments, some of which said he reminds them of the grandfather in Pixar's animated film "Up."

Jerry Roszak, 88, tells TODAY.com that the attention is "unexpected."

Several commenters said the drop-off reminded them of the first day of school. People who work in care facilities made comments like, "Trust me, someone will love him so much their heart will break if anything happens to him. He will be loved and cared for."

"You're dropping him off for his first day like he dropped you off at yours when you were a kid."

"It's like the first day at a new school all over again. Why am I crying!?"

"All of us were just little kids at one point."

"This grandpa looks like he's going to be the leader ... his smile says it all, so no worries. He's got this!!"

"Can we get a weekly update please?"

Roszak tells TODAY.com that he is newly widowed; his wife , Joan , died in January at age 86. Growing up, the couple lived one block apart and went to the same high school but only knew each other "by sight" until Roszak, two grades ahead of Joan, went off to college.

"I was working as a lifeguard at Lake Michigan, she would meet me in the mornings and we'd walk to the bus stop," says Roszak. "That was how we got going ... It was quite a relationship."

The couple were married for 67 years and had seven children, 15 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren. During the last few years of Joan's life, Roszak was her caregiver.

Roszak moved into the facility on Sept. 6 at the encouragement of his daughters who were worried about him living alone, hours away in Milwaukee county. Patz was also concerned about Roszak being in a new environment.

"I knew he would make friends because he's a pretty bubbly person," says Patz, adding that family members, who now live minutes away from Roszak, visit daily. Because Roszak lives independently at the facility, he can come and go as he pleases.

Roszak was apprehensive about new names and faces because he has poor eyesight, but he didn't have to worry.

"It's become a nice place to rendezvous," Roszak says of the facility. "You walk down the hall and people say, 'Good morning' and 'Hello' so it's very friendly — you can even talk politics and no one gets excited about it ... if you feel strongly about one candidate and it's not yours, we talk it over and say, 'OK.' No arguments, ever."

Roszak says he always has company at mealtime, as shown in another video posted by Patz.

Patz says move-in day was like sending her grandpa to his first day of school.

"You hope they have a good day and make friends and no one is mean to them ... I wanted to make sure they accepted him," she says, adding that she still remembers her grandparents attending her elementary school events.

Roszak is so popular on TikTok that by request, Patz created a P.O. box address and an Amazon Wish List where his fans send letters and care packages.

"One teacher asked if her kids could make cards for him," says Patz, adding that people have said her videos make them feel connected to their own late grandparents.

Roszak says that staff at the facility recognize him from TikTok, too, adding, "I am happy and very fortunate."