104-year-old Dorothy Hoffner put age stereotypes aside when she decided to become the oldest person ever to skydive. Hoffner traded in her walker for goggles and a parachute when she hopped into a plane with Skydive Chicago instructors. The daredevil jumped from 13,500 feet and descended on a seven minute dive back down to solid ground. She grinned and laughed the whole way down and was greeted with a crowd of cheering supporters upon landing. Hoffner was thrilled to snag the Guinness World Record and told reporters, “What has age got to do with what you’re doing? I’m 104 years old, so what?” Just over a week after completing her incredible journey, Hoffner died peacefully in her sleep. Friends say that the dive was a perfect, poetic cap to her well-lived life, and that Hoffner is looking down with a smile.
Image via AP
Read other stories from the 10/16/23 newsletter: