104-year-old woman dies days before entering into Guinness World Records for daring skydive

A 104-year-old woman from Chicago was on the cusp of making history. She had recently performed a daring skydive in a bid to make her name etched into the Guinness World Records, making her the oldest-ever woman to perform such a feat.

But before her work could get certified, her fate had other plans.

On Monday morning (Oct 9), Dorothy Hoffner was found dead by staff at Brookdale Lake View—a senior living community.

Hoffner had apparently died in her sleep on Sunday night, her close friend Joe Conant told AP news agency on Tuesday (Oct 10).

"She was indefatigable. She just kept going," he said, adding, "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."

On October 1, Hoffner jumped off from a plane from 13,500 feet at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois, 85 miles southwest of Chicago.

Dorothy Hoffner, the 104-year-old Chicago woman who jumped from a plane one week ago in what is believed to be a new world record for the oldest skydiver in the world, has died, local media reported pic.twitter.com/F2rHbPyoEF — Reuters (@Reuters) October 11, 2023

"Age is just a number," Hoffner told the crowd moments after landing.

'Never wanted to break the record'

Apparently, this was not the first time she was skydiving. At that time, she was merely 100 years of age.

But her intention was not to break a record, Conant asserted.

Hoffner had so thoroughly enjoyed her first jump that she just wanted to do it again.

"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," he was quoted as saying.

'Working to ensure her name is entered posthumously'

Conant said he was working through paperwork to ensure that Guinness World Records certifies Hoffner posthumously as the world's oldest skydiver, but he expects that will take some time.

The current record was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden.

Skydive Chicago and the United States Parachute Association celebrated Hoffner in a joint statement Tuesday.

"We are deeply saddened by Dorothy's passing and feel honuored to have been a part of making her world-record skydive a reality.

(With inputs from agencies)

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