Celebrating the life of the 'indefatigable' centenarian skydiver, Dorothy Hoffner
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We love sharing inspiring tales of people from the community pushing boundaries and refusing to be bound by convention.
A shining example of this streak of adventurousness was Dorothy Hoffner, a spirited centenarian from Chicago who, at the grand age of 104, may possibly hold the title of the world's oldest skydiver from the Guinness World Records!
Dorothy Hoffner, whose recent record-breaking skydive we wrote about in the past week, has died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday night.
Joe Conant, a nurse and Dorothy’s close friend, met her several years ago at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community.
Dorothy, whom Joe Conant fondly called 'Grandma' as per her request, was never one to rest on her laurels. He also described her as one who had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp.
'She was indefatigable. She just kept going,' Conant fondly recalled.
'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.'
She lived her life to the fullest, a fact highlighted clearly when, on the 1st of October, Dorothy made a tandem skydive, a (literal) leap of faith that could cement her name in the annals of the world records as the oldest skydiver.
The current record is held by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden and was set in May 2022.
The adrenaline-packed day saw Dorothy diving from a height of 13,500ft (4,100 metres) at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, a location about 85 miles (140km) south-west of Chicago.
A testament to her vivacious spirit, Dorothy's declaration that 'age is just a number' upon her safe landing will indeed resonate with us forever.
It's worth noting that the recent skydive wasn’t the first for Dorothy but a thrilling sequel to the one she first undertook at the age of 100.
According to Conant, the quest for a record or publicity never motivated Dorothy. Rather, it was the pure joy she derived from her first jump that steered her towards this adventurous path a second time.
'She had no intention of breaking the record. And she had no interest in any publicity or anything. She wasn’t doing it for any other reason than she wanted to go skydiving,' Conant said.
'It was wonderful up there,' Dorothy said.
'The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.'
Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association honoured Dorothy and her zest for life in a statement that was recently released.
'We are deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and feel honoured to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality.'
'Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tuck away [on] 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,' the statement read.
A memorial service is planned to be held for Dorothy in early November.
'She was a dear friend who was an inspiration,' Conant shared.
Members, what are your thoughts on Dorothy’s adventure? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
A shining example of this streak of adventurousness was Dorothy Hoffner, a spirited centenarian from Chicago who, at the grand age of 104, may possibly hold the title of the world's oldest skydiver from the Guinness World Records!
Dorothy Hoffner, whose recent record-breaking skydive we wrote about in the past week, has died peacefully in her sleep on Sunday night.
Joe Conant, a nurse and Dorothy’s close friend, met her several years ago at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community.
Dorothy, whom Joe Conant fondly called 'Grandma' as per her request, was never one to rest on her laurels. He also described her as one who had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp.
Dorothy Hoffner who did a record-breaking skydive at 104 years of age has died peacefully in her sleep. Image source: Facebook / Brian Cassella.
'She was indefatigable. She just kept going,' Conant fondly recalled.
'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.'
She lived her life to the fullest, a fact highlighted clearly when, on the 1st of October, Dorothy made a tandem skydive, a (literal) leap of faith that could cement her name in the annals of the world records as the oldest skydiver.
The current record is held by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden and was set in May 2022.
The adrenaline-packed day saw Dorothy diving from a height of 13,500ft (4,100 metres) at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, a location about 85 miles (140km) south-west of Chicago.
A testament to her vivacious spirit, Dorothy's declaration that 'age is just a number' upon her safe landing will indeed resonate with us forever.
It's worth noting that the recent skydive wasn’t the first for Dorothy but a thrilling sequel to the one she first undertook at the age of 100.
Dorothy jumped from a height of 13,500ft (4,100 metres) at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois. Image source: Facebook / Brian Cassella.
According to Conant, the quest for a record or publicity never motivated Dorothy. Rather, it was the pure joy she derived from her first jump that steered her towards this adventurous path a second time.
'She had no intention of breaking the record. And she had no interest in any publicity or anything. She wasn’t doing it for any other reason than she wanted to go skydiving,' Conant said.
'It was wonderful up there,' Dorothy said.
'The whole thing was delightful, wonderful, couldn’t have been better.'
Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association honoured Dorothy and her zest for life in a statement that was recently released.
'We are deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and feel honoured to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality.'
'Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tuck away [on] 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,' the statement read.
A memorial service is planned to be held for Dorothy in early November.
'She was a dear friend who was an inspiration,' Conant shared.
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