104-year-old woman dies a week after becoming world's oldest skydiver
WeirdNews
Dorothy Hoffner gained international attention for her effort
(Web Desk) - Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old woman who recently set a world record for skydiving, died Monday.
The Chicago woman gained international attention after she became the oldest person to skydive on Oct 1.
Prior to Hoffner’s jump, the oldest parachutist was Sweden’s Rut Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, per Guinness World Records, who earned the title in May 2022 at the age of 103.
Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association confirmed Hoffner’s passing in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.
“We are deeply saddened by Dorothy’s passing and feel honored to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality,” the statement read.
Hoffner’s close friend, Joe Conant, told The Chicago Tribune that she died peacefully in her sleep. Her death was unexpected, he added.
“It came as quite a shock,” Conant said. “She gave an incredible amount of her spirit and life to all of us, and it inspired all of us.”
Conant was working as a caregiver at Brookdale Senior Living when he met Hoffner five years ago, per a report. He recalled telling Hoffner sometime around 2019 of his plans to go skydiving.
“She enthusiastically said, ‘I want to go,’ and I thought she meant she just wanted to come and watch,” Conant told the newspaper. “I explained to her what it all entails, and she said, “Yeah, that sounds great. I want to try it.”
