On 1 October, Dorothy Hoffner dived headfirst from a aircraft 4 years after her first skydive. She had been contemplating a scorching air balloon trip subsequent, however she died in her sleep at her retirement residence earlier this week.
By Narbeh Minassian, information reporter
A 104-year-old skydiver – who might be licensed because the oldest individual to ever bounce out of a aircraft – has died only a week after a daredevil stunt.
Dorothy Hoffner mentioned “let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo” as she dived headfirst out of a plane from 13,500 feet (4,114m) in northern Illinois within the US on 1 October.
Shut good friend Joe Conant mentioned she simply needed to leap and wasn’t seeking to break any information – though he’s submitting paperwork for Guinness World Data, with the present file holder aged 103.
However on Tuesday, Mr Conant revealed Ms Hoffner was discovered lifeless at her retirement residence on Monday morning, having apparently died in her sleep one week on from her skydive.
“She was indefatigable. She simply stored going,” mentioned Mr Conant, a nurse who met Ms Hoffner a number of years in the past whereas working as a carer for an additional resident.
“She was not somebody who would take naps within the afternoon, or not present up for any operate, dinner or the rest. She was all the time there, absolutely current. She stored going, all the time.”
Ms Hoffner needed to leap final week to relive the enjoyable she had from her first bounce – when she was 100 – however this time she needed to guide the bounce, fairly than be pushed out.
A crowd cheered as she landed in Ottawa, 140 kilometres (85 miles) southwest of Chicago, and he or she informed them “age is only a quantity”.
As she was reunited along with her strolling body, she mentioned it was “fantastic” to be again on the bottom.
She mentioned it was “fantastic up there”, including: “The entire thing was pleasant, fantastic, could not have been higher.”
The lifelong Chicago resident, who was going to show 105 in December, had mentioned she was contemplating driving a scorching air balloon subsequent.
“I’ve by no means been in a kind of,” she mentioned.
Mr Conant mentioned he’s working by way of paperwork to make sure Guinness World Data certifies his good friend posthumously because the world’s oldest skydiver, however he expects that can take time.
The present file was set in Might 2022 by 103-year-old Linnea Ingegard Larsson of Sweden.
“She had no intention of breaking the file, and he or she had little interest in any publicity or something,” Mr Conant mentioned of Ms Hoffner.
“She wasn’t doing it for another purpose than she needed to go skydiving.”
‘By no means too late to take the joys of a lifetime’
Skydive Chicago and america Parachute Affiliation paid tribute to Ms Hoffner in a joint assertion on Tuesday.
“We’re deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and really feel honoured to have been part of making her world file skydive a actuality,” they mentioned.
“Dorothy reminds us that it is by no means too late to take the joys of a lifetime. We’re ceaselessly grateful that skydiving was part of her thrilling, well-lived life.”
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Mr Conant mentioned Ms Hoffner labored as a phone operator with Illinois Bell, which later grew to become AT&T, for greater than 40 years and retired 43 years in the past.
She by no means married and Mr Conant mentioned she had no instant members of the family.
A memorial service for Ms Hoffner will likely be held in early November.
“She was a pricey good friend who was an inspiration,” Mr Conant added.
