Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago girl whose latest skydive might see her licensed by Guinness World Data because the oldest particular person to ever leap from a aircraft, has died.
Hoffner’s shut good friend, Joe Conant, stated she was discovered lifeless Monday morning by workers on the Brookdale Lake View senior residing neighborhood. Conant stated Hoffner apparently died in her sleep on Sunday night time.
Conant, who’s a nurse, stated he met Hoffner — whom he known as Grandma at her request — a number of years in the past whereas he was working as a caregiver for an additional resident on the senior residing heart. He stated she had superb vitality and remained mentally sharp.
![Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago woman whose recent skydive could see her certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to ever jump from a plane, has died.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6526334d1e00006600bfe6fb.jpeg?cache=TEhneMLHeX&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Chicago Tribune by way of Getty Photographs
“She was indefatigable. She simply stored going,” he stated Tuesday. “She was not somebody who would take naps within the afternoon, or not present up for any operate, dinner or anything. She was all the time there, totally current. She stored going, all the time.”
On Oct. 1, Hoffner made a tandem skydive that might land her within the document books because the world’s oldest skydiver. She jumped out of a aircraft from 13,500 ft (4,100 meters) at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.
“Age is only a quantity,” Hoffner instructed a cheering crowd moments after touchdown. It was not her first time leaping from a aircraft — that occurred when she was a spry 100 years of age.
Conant stated he was working by way of paperwork to make sure that Guinness World Data certifies Hoffner posthumously because the world’s oldest skydiver, however he expects that can take a while. The present document was set in Might 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden.
Conant stated Hoffner didn’t skydive to interrupt a document. He stated she had so totally loved her first leap that she simply needed to do it once more.
“She had no intention of breaking the document. And he or she had no real interest in any publicity or something. She wasn’t doing it for every other cause than she needed to go skydiving,” he stated.
Skydive Chicago and the USA Parachute Affiliation celebrated Hoffner in a joint assertion Tuesday.
“We’re deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and really feel honored to have been part of making her world-record skydive a actuality.
“Skydiving is an exercise that many people safely tuck away in our bucket lists. However Dorothy reminds us that it’s by no means too late to take the fun of a lifetime. We’re endlessly grateful that skydiving was part of her thrilling, well-lived life,” they stated.
Conant stated Hoffner labored for greater than 4 a long time as a phone operator with Illinois Bell, which later grew to become AT&T, and retired 43 years in the past. The lifelong Chicago resident by no means married, and Conant stated she had no instant members of the family.
A memorial service for Hoffner shall be held in early November.
“She was a pricey good friend who was an inspiration,” Conant stated.
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