104-year-old grandmother dies days after skydiving adventure

Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago woman who went skydiving earlier this month, has died. Hoffner was found dead Monday morning by staff at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community, said her friend, Joe Conant. Hoffner died in her sleep Sunday night, Conant said. Hoffner’s skydiving adventure took place on Oct. 1. Her jump took place at approximately 13,500 feet near Ottawa, Ill., about 85 miles southwest of Chicago. After completing the skydive, she told a cheering crowd, “Age is just a number.” Hoffner parachuted for the first time when she was 100 years old.

One for the record books? Guinness World Records has yet to certify Hoffner as the oldest person to jump from a plane. Conant said he filed the necessary paperwork to ensure Hoffner is certified posthumously, but that may take some time. Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson of Sweden holds the current record for a May 2022 jump at the age of 103.

Dig Deeper: Read Sarah Schweinsberg’s story about a grandmother who used social media to encourage others to live life to the fullest.