'Inspiring' 104-Year-Old Woman Dies 1 Week After Becoming World's Oldest Skydiver
Dorothy Hoffner gained international attention for her Oct. 1 jump
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty
Dorothy Hoffner, 104, became the oldest person in the world to sky-dive on Oct. 1, 2023, at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois. She died a week later on Oct. 9.Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old woman who recently set a world record for skydiving, died Monday.
The Chicago woman gained international attention after she became the oldest person to skydive on Oct. 1. Prior to Hoffner’s jump, the oldest parachutist was Sweden’s Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, per Guinness World Records, who earned the title in May 2022 at the age of 103.
Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association confirmed Hoffner’s passing in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“We are deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and feel honored to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality,” the statement read.
Skydive Chicago was working with Guinness World Records to certify Hoffner’s accomplishment, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
Related: Woman, 84, Who Began Skydiving Again After Husband’s Death Is Halfway Towards Goal of 1,000 Jumps
Hoffner’s close friend, Joe Conant, told The Chicago Tribune that she died peacefully in her sleep. Her death was unexpected, he added.
“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.”
Conant was working as a caregiver at Brookdale Senior Living when he met Hoffner five years ago, per The Chicago Sun-Times. He recalled telling Hoffner sometime around 2019 of his plans to go skydiving.
Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty
This photo shows skydiver Dorothy Hoffner, 104, pushing her walker out to the plane with tandem jumper Derek Baxter. Hoffner set a world record on Oct. 1, 2023 for being the oldest person to skydive. She died a week later on Oct. 9.“She enthusiastically said, ‘I want to go,’ and I thought she meant she just wanted to come and watch,” Conant told the newspaper. “I explained to her what it all entails, and she said, “Yeah, that sounds great. I want to try it.”
A short time later, Hoffner successfully completed her first jump on her 100th birthday.
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However, Hoffner didn’t tell her family that she skydived until she recently made the front page of the Tribune following her record-setting feat, according to the Chicago newspaper.
Hoffner also wasn’t initially fond of the media attention that she received for her feat but ultimately embraced being in the spotlight.
“She wasn’t doing it because of the world record,” Conant told the Tribune. “She was doing it because she wanted to go skydiving."
Related: Watch Moment Skydiver Makes Incredible Landing on Inflatable Unicorn During Competition
Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association further said about Hoffner in their statement: "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," they added. "Her legacy is even more remarkable because of the attention the world gave to her inspiring story."
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