104-year-old dies a week after potential record-breaking skydiver

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, died on Monday (Oct 9), according to Skydive Chicago and Parachute Association, local media reported. Joe Conant, a close friend of Hoffner’s, claimed that Brookdale Lake View personnel discovered her body early on Monday. Conant reported that Hoffner reportedly passed on Sunday night while sleeping. Hoffner completed a tandem skydive on October 1 that might make her the oldest skydiver in the history. She jumped in a parachute from a plane at a height of 13,500 feet (4,100 meters), at Skydive Chicago in Ottawa, Illinois. Conant, a nurse, claimed that he first met Hoffner several years ago while serving as a caretaker for another resident at the senior living facility. He referred to her as Grandma at her request. He praised her for having incredible energy and staying intellectually alert.