Dorothy Hoffner, the remarkable 104-year-old American woman who recently made headlines as the world's oldest skydiver, peacefully passed away at her Chicago residence, as reported by The New York Times.
Dorothy Hoffner gained international recognition for her daring skydiving adventure, during which she made a fearless jump from an aircraft at Skydive Chicago Airport on October 1. Her incredible feat shattered the Guinness World Record for the oldest tandem parachute jump, a record previously held by a 103-year-old Swedish woman from the prior year.
Incredible as it may seem, despite her advanced age, Dorothy Hoffner described her skydiving experience as calm and enjoyable. After landing in Ottawa, approximately 80 miles southwest of Chicago, she shared with the Chicago Sun-Times, "There was nothing scary about it. It was nice and peaceful."
Ms. Hoffner's friend, Joe Conant, reported that she was discovered deceased at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community. Her passing is believed to have occurred on Sunday night.
The spokesperson for Skydive Chicago and the US Parachute Association expressed their honor that Hoffner's final skydive marked the end of her "exciting, well-lived life." They highlighted the message she left, stating, "Skydiving is an activity that many of us place on our bucket lists for safekeeping, but Dorothy reminds us that it's never too late to embrace the thrill of a lifetime."
Initially, Ms. Hoffner was "not excited" about the media attention she received last week, as reported by The New York Times. However, as the weekend approached, her perspective changed, viewing it as an opportunity to connect with new people.
On Tuesday, a nurse who had known Ms. Hoffner for approximately five years mentioned that the cause of her death had not yet been determined.
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