104-year-old woman dies days after attempting to break oldest skydiver record
Topics: US News
Callum Jones
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@shelleyzalis
Topics: US News
Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old woman from Chicago, has sadly died just days after attempting a rather impressive sky diving record.
Dorothy was all smiles when she made her history-making jump in the skies above Ottawa, Chicago, earlier this month.
The 104-year-old hopped into a plane in northern Illinois, climbing to a rather impressive height of 13,500 feet.
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Strapped to a dive instructor, the pair jumped out of the plane, enjoying a few seconds of free fall before the parachute was deployed.
They spent a total of seven minutes in the air, before touching on solid ground at Skydive Chicago, with the centenarian shouting 'age is just a number'.
Dorothy told the Chicago Sun-Times: “What has age got to do with what you’re doing? I’m 104 years old, so what?”
A spokesperson for the Guinness Book of World Records said they were looking 'forward to receiving evidence from Dorothy’s attempt for our Records Management Team to review' - meaning a potential world record was on the cards for Dorothy.
The current record belongs to 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden after she bravely jumped out of a plane in May last year.
Unfortunately, Dorothy will not be around to see if she has beaten the Guinness World Record, as she was found dead at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community.
Dorothy's close friend, Joe Conant, said that the 104-year-old died in her sleep on Sunday (8 October) night, paying tribute to her in an emotional statement.
He told AP News: "She was indefatigable. She just kept going. She was not someone who would take naps in the afternoon, or not show up for any function, dinner or anything else. She was always there, fully present. She kept going, always."
Meanwhile, Skydive Chicago has released a statement, saying: "We are deeply saddened by Dorothy's passing and feel honored to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality.
"Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tucked 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."
Dorothy was set to turn 105 in December and she was planning to ride in a hot air balloon to celebrate.
A memorial service for her will be held in November.