Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago woman whose recent skydive could see her certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to ever jump from a plane, has died.

Hoffner’s close friend, Joe Conant, said she was found dead Monday morning by staff at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community. Conant said Hoffner apparently died in her sleep on Sunday night.

Conant, who is a nurse, said he met Hoffner — whom he called Grandma at her request — several years ago while he was working as a caregiver for another resident at the senior living center. He said she had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp.

“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.”

    • foggy@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Something in her was like “gotta make it to 100…”

      Then she did and must’ve been thinking “well is that it? I am awfully tired all the time. Guess I am getting weaker. Oh!! I never skydived!! Okay gotta skydive, then we’re good to go 😊”

      Skydives

      Naps forever

      • vortexsurfer@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Sorry, but it appears you are quite wrong.

        From the article:

        “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.”

      • ivanafterall@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, now Dorothy. We’ll never get to see what else they might have done had they not been snatched from us early by that cruel bitch fate.

  • Chariotwheel@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Good, going out on a high note is great.

    Plus the benefit that her actual death was in her sleep.

    My grandma wasn’t skydiving, but she also died in her sleep, which was great. Was well the days before, then went to bed and never woke up. Much prefered to how grandpa slowly died of cancer while also having Alzheimers. That wasn’t fun for anyone. Never waking up is certainly one of the best deaths one can have.

    • agent_flounder@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      That’s how my grandmother went out. Definitely preferable to many other ways. :( Sorry you had to go through that. Dementia of any kind is horrible.

      • Chariotwheel@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        I didn’t have to go through it directly. I was a child and my grandma didn’t let me see my grandfather in his past months. It apparently was really bad and she wanted me to keep the memory of how he was when he was well. Heck, while the older family members got to visit, she basically took over the care on her own. She shouldered this burden of him losing himself so nobody else had to and continued on another decade afterwards. She was quite the strong woman.

  • NightAuthor@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    No one’s going to say anything about “indefatigable”? Am I the only illiterate here that’s never heard of this word?

  • Zahtu@feddit.de
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    1 year ago

    Kinda sad, but at the same time, I wish for this myself when being old. Dieing after having my most ambitious dreams being fulfilled, not looking back about missed opportunities or regrets.

  • rtxn@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    See this tale to a triumphant conclusion, and with elation in your heart, bid the final curtain fall.

    • Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      Yep.

      Do not go gently into that good night.

      Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

      Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

    • TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      If life seems jolly rotten,

      There’s something you’ve forgotten,

      And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.

      When you’re feeling in the dumps,

      Don’t be silly, chumps,

      Just purse your lips and whistle,

      That’s the thing.

  • wildcardology@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    She was the oldest person to skydive, there’s proof that she was the oldest person to skydive. What’s keeping them from giving her the record? Does it matter that she died? The record was already set.

    • KairuByte@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      I’d assume her age and stuff need to be confirmed? Tho if it with Guinness it doesn’t really matter much, their entire record system is a sham.

    • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Would there be a concern that the elderly might be pushed into potentially hazardous (due to their age/health) activities in attempts to make records? Guinness already refuses records that are dangerous. I could easily see the YouTube generation trying to talk grandma into some record attempts that wind up with her stroking out or breaking a hip. If I were Guinness I’d have some concerns about how to present stuff like this.

    • Alien Nathan Edward@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I, for one, would want to take a second look at a birth certificate from 1919. It might not be terribly meaningful in the grand scheme of things but Guinness takes their verification seriously and wants to be able to answer questions like “exactly how many days old was she when she jumped?” and “how did you prove that?”

  • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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    1 year ago

    it’s amusing that journalists still give these “world records” any amount of energy.

    a serious career for serious people.

    • atetulo@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      What’s wrong with world records?

      I guess AP usually has better things to report on, but reporting is still reporting.

      It’s about the delivery, not the subject matter 😎

      • JoYo@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        you can just buy them without doing anything.

        they’ll sell the same “record” more than once.