On October 1, 2023, 104-year-old Dorthy Hoffner set off and ended up meeting one (perhaps unexpected) goal: to become the oldest verified person to skydive. First skydiving when she was 100, according to her friend and nurse caregiver at the senior living center, Joe Conant, “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 reason other than she wanted to go skydiving,” as was stated in an KSBW news article. During this first time, she was pushed out of the airplane, but with the second skydive at 104, Hoffner made sure that she was the one jumping (attached to a certified instructor for the tandem jump). Jumping out of a Skyvan plane 13,500 feet high at Skydive Chicago, located in Ottawa (approximately 85 miles to the southwest of Chicago), the descent lasted about seven minutes in total, as Hoffner first rolled and then entered freefall facing downwards towards the fields below. 

Greeted by friends (along with her red walker), Hoffner was asked how the skydiving experience was, to which she expressed how “wonderful” the trip was. Prior to this, and just seconds after landing, Hoffner told the group awaiting her on the ground that “‘Age is just a number’” according to the Chicago Tribune. She also reflected on the future, saying that she hoped to ride in a hot air balloon next, given that she had never been in one previously. 

Sadly, only about a week after her record-setting jump, Hoffner passed away on Sunday, October 8, 2023, having died in her sleep overnight at Brookdale Lake View senior living community. After her passing, Joe Conant commented on Hoffner’s personality, noting that she was always energetic, mentally present, and would always show up, whether that be to dinners or other social events. Conant also shared other pieces of Hoffner’s story, noting that she had worked for over 40 years operating telephones at Illinois Bell (now AT&T), although she never ended up marrying and no longer had any close family members. 

Although Hoffner had no intention of attempting a world record, she nonetheless is in the running for one. The current Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver dates back a little under two years to may of 2022, and is held by Swedish Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson, who was 103 at the time of her jump. It may take some time for Hoffner to gain the record posthumously, as it requires a significant amount of paperwork for Guinness World Records from Conant, but she nonetheless will be a record holder. 

Hoffner was also honored by Skydive Chicago, the company she skydived through, and the United States Parachute Association, which expressed their sadness at Dorthy’s passing, along with their gratitude for being part of her journey. They mentioned in their joint statement how Hoffner reminds us that it is never too late to try new and exciting things, and even at a young age, Hoffner teaches us the lesson of never letting opportunities slip by.