A 104-year-old American woman dies after skydiving

A week after skydiving at the age of 104, American Dorothy Hoffner died, according to a friend.

Dorothy Hoffner was found dead Monday by staff at Brookdale Lakeview Nursing Home in Chicago, Joe Conant said. Hofner apparently died in his sleep on Sunday evening (local time). Conant, who works as a carer, became friends with the elderly woman a few years ago when he was looking after another resident at the home.

On October 1, Hofner made a skydive that could earn her a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. “Age is just a number,” the senior citizen announced to a crowd as she landed at Skydive Chicago Airport in Ottawa, about 140 kilometers southwest of Chicago, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. She dived herself into the depths from a height of 4,100 meters using a tandem jump.

This was not her first time: she made her first skydive when she was 100 years old. According to Conant, he is taking care of the paperwork so that his girlfriend can now be posthumously confirmed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s oldest female skydiver. However, he said that could take some time. The current record holder is Sweden’s Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, who plunged into the depths with a tandem jump in May 2022 at the age of 103.

Conant said Hofner radiated amazing energy and remained mentally active until the end. “She was tireless. She just kept moving forward.

dpa