104-year-old woman dies days after jumping from plane to break record for oldest skydiver

A 104-year-old Chicago woman died days after attempting to make the world record for the the oldest person to jump out of a plane.

“Age is just a number,” Dorothy Hoffner told the Chicago Tribune, after leaping from a plane last Sunday.

Joe Conant, A close friend of Hoffner's told ABC7 that she was found dead on Monday morning at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community. She appeared to have died in her sleep.

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

Dorothy Hoffner:104-year-old woman jumps from plane to try to set record for oldest skydiver

Hoffner's appetite for new experiences is her legacy

Just a week earlier, Hoffner made a record as the oldest person to skydive. Skydive Chicago is working with the Guinness World Record to certify Hoffner's jump as a record.

Sweden's Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson earned the previous Guinness World Record record in May 2022 when she was 103 years old.

In a statement the group told USA TODAY they were "deeply saddened" by Hoffner's death.

"Skydiving is an activity that many of us safely tuck away in our bucket lists. But Dorothy reminds us that it’s never too late to take the thrill of a lifetime," the statement said.

"We are forever grateful that skydiving was a part of her exciting, well-lived life. Her legacy is even more remarkable because of the attention the world gave to her inspiring story."

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A 13,500 foot leap of courage

On September 30, Hoffner ditched her walker and instead boarded a Skyvane plane in Ottawa, Illinois, 85 miles south of Chicago.

This would be her second time parachuting from a plane. Hoffner first went skydiving when she was 100 years old and had to be pushed out of the plane. This time around, she willingly and joyfully led the tandem 13,500 foot jump.

“Let’s go, let’s go, Geronimo!” Hoffner said after she was finally seated on the plane, the Tribune reported.

The entire dive took seven minutes.

More:She turned 95. She spent her day jumping out of an airplane in Hawaii.

As her feet made it back on land, friends rushed to her side to congratulate her, the Tribune reported.

“Skydiving is a wonderful experience, and it’s nothing to be afraid of. Just do it," Hoffner told NBC Chicago.