A 104-year-old woman has died days after she made a record-breaking jump.
On October 1, Dorothy Hoffner took a leap of faith. It was reported that Hoffner broke the World’s Guinness Record for being the oldest person to skydive. Her bravery captured the attention of the world — and for me personally — her feat was quite inspiring. Unfortunately, a little over a week later, the record-breaking grandma had passed away.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association confirmed the passing of Hoffner.
“We are deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and feel honoured to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality,” the statement read.
“Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tuck away in our bucket lists. But Dorothy reminds us that it’s never too late to take the thrill of a lifetime.
“We are forever grateful that skydiving was a part of her exciting, well-lived life.
“Her legacy is even more remarkable because of the attention the world gave to her inspiring story.”
According to Joe Conant, a friend close to Hoffner, the Chicago record-breaker passed away peacefully in her sleep. He also added that her death was unexpected, as per US news outlet The Chicago Tribune.
“It came as quite a shock,” Conant said.
“She gave an incredible amount of her spirit and life to all of us, and it inspired all of us.”
In an interview with The Chicago Sun Times, Conant mentioned he’d met Hoffner five years ago when he was working at Brookdale Senior Living.
During one dinner, Conant mentioned that he was going skydiving, which intrigued the grandma.
“She enthusiastically said, ‘I want to go,’ and I thought she meant she just wanted to come and watch,” Conant told the publication.
“I explained to her what it all entails, and she said, ‘Yeah, that sounds great. I want to try it.’”
She did her first skydive at 100 years old.
Hoffner reportedly broke the record for the oldest tandem parachute jump, which was previously set by a 103-year-old in Sweden, back in 2022.
After her ‘yuge feat, Hoffner told reporters: “What has age got to do with what you’re doing? I’m 104 years old, so what?”
As mentioned previously, her record-breaking stunt captured the attention of the world. And it was definitely a piece of news that was well-needed during these grim times.
R.I.P Hoffner and thank you for inspiring us all.
Image source: Getty Images / Chicago Tribune
