By Jimmy
A 104-year-old American woman, Dorothy Hoffner, who recently set the world record for the oldest skydiver, has passed away shortly after the amazing feat.
Dorothy passed away in her sleep at her Chicago home on Monday. According to The Metro News, she was found dead at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community by staff, her friend Joe Conant said.
She is believed to have died on Sunday night.
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The celebrated centenarian, who captured international acclaim for her skydiving feat, took a leap from an aircraft at Skydive Chicago Airport on October 1, 2023. With this, she broke the skydiving Guinness World Record for the oldest tandem parachute jump.
This record was previously held by a 103-year-old Swedish woman from the year before.
Despite her advanced age, Dorothy Hoffner described her skydive as a serene and enjoyable experience.
“There was nothing scary about it. It was nice and peaceful,” she shared with the Chicago Sun-Times after touching down in Ottawa, approximately 80 miles southwest of Chicago.
A spokesperson for the Skydive Chicago and US Parachute Association told the newspaper they were honoured that Hoffner’s last dive wrapped up her ‘exciting, well-lived life’.
“Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tuck away in our bucket lists,” stated the spokesperson. “But Dorothy reminds us that it’s never too late to take the thrill of a lifetime.”
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The New York Times reported that Ms. Hoffner was initially “not excited” about all the attention she received from the news media last week after breaking the world skydiving record. But by the weekend, he said, the attention had grown on her because “she looked at it as an opportunity to meet new people.”
