104-year-old woman dies just days after plane jump, which could put her in the record books | Instagram HLN

“She had a lot of energy and remained mentally sharp until the end,” her nurse and close friend, Joe Conant, told the AP. “She was tireless. She just kept moving forward.”

And I kept going, even with difficulty! On October 1, the 104-year-old was happy to put down her treadmill to do a thrilling tandem jump from a plane. An adventure from 4,100 meters high could put her in the record books as the world’s biggest ever skydiver.

“Age is just a number,” Dorothy declared as she got both feet on the ground again. By the way, this was not the first time she jumped out of a plane, as she also participated in a skydive once when she was 100 years old.

Pictures of her recent jump clearly show how much the woman enjoyed it. That happy smile, that perfect peace in her eyes. Maybe this was what she needed before she died in peace.

Nurse Jo Conant says all paperwork is being completed to ensure the American will be posthumously named the greatest skydiver of all time. The current record was set in May 2022 by 103-year-old Linnéa Ingegärd Larsson from Sweden.

Skydive Chicago and the American Parachute Association honored Hoefner in a statement issued yesterday. “We mourn Dorothy’s passing and are honored to be part of her record-breaking leap,” the statement read. “Skydiving is an activity that many of us place safely somewhere on our bucket list. But Dorothy is a reminder that it is never too late to feel the excitement of life. We are forever grateful to have been a part of her vibrant, well-lived life.”

For Dorothy herself, it didn’t matter that she would break the record. “She wasn’t interested in being famous or anything like that. She did it for no other reason than she wanted to skydive,” the nurse said. “She was a great friend,” he concluded emotionally. “She was an inspiration.”