By Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune
In the times earlier than Dorothy Hoffner was scheduled to break the world report to turn into the oldest skydiver ever, she dreamed she was in free fall. The sensation woke her up, she mentioned.
Per week after setting the report, the 104-year-old has lastly landed. She died peacefully in her sleep Monday, her shut buddy Joe Conant advised the Tribune.
The demise of the pricey buddy he known as “grandma” got here unexpectedly, he mentioned.
“She was just indefatigable. She just kept going,” Conant mentioned.
He remembered Hoffner, a lifelong Chicagoan, for her energetic spark and eagerness to speak with different folks. She was witty and with it in her outdated age, he mentioned.
And, certainly, the world met her indomitable spirit final week. News of her report skydive unfold alongside footage and video of her soar. She smiled as she fell, goggles defending her decided eyes.
When Hoffner landed from the 13,500-foot fall, she popped up rapidly, grabbed her walker and shuffled over to the group that had simply cheered on her historic achievement.
“Age is only a number, ya’ know?” she advised reporters.
The unbelievable feat gave Hoffner the proper alternative for one among her final pranks. The day after she jumped, household came visiting her at her Brookdale Lake View senior residing neighborhood. She hadn’t advised them something about her skydiving.
When they arrived, Hoffner handed them a replica of the Chicago Tribune. She was on the entrance web page, parachuting to Earth in a big picture.
“Chicagoan sets record as oldest skydiver,” the headline learn.
“Dorothy, you never told us you went skydiving!” her household mentioned, in line with Conant.
“Well, you never asked!” Hoffner replied.
Millions of individuals heard of Hoffner’s story. A viral sensation, the centenarian grew to become the topic of a New York Times article, the goal of a late-night TV joke and a darling of cable morning reveals. She appeared in a narrative written by a Chinese outlet and appeared on a Mexican broadcast.
The media consideration at first irked Hoffner. She advised the Tribune weeks earlier than her soar that she deliberate to carry a chilly steak to Skydive Chicago. She deliberate to sock Conant within the eye for spreading phrase of the report try, and he’d must ice it, she joked.
“She wasn’t doing it because of the world record. She was doing it because she wanted to go skydiving,” Conant mentioned.
But though Hoffner could have struggled to know how far her inspiring story unfold — in any case, she didn’t personal a smartphone — she savored her newfound reputation, Conant mentioned. Each interview grew to become a possibility for the folks lover to speak and make a brand new buddy.
She was getting requests for round 5 interviews per day. A German journal had flown a reporter and photographer to Chicago and deliberate to have dinner together with her Monday, Conant mentioned.
The 104-year-old hadn’t appeared to age in any respect within the final decade, he mentioned. She by no means napped or canceled plans.
“It came as quite a shock,” he mentioned of her demise. “She gave an incredible amount of her spirit and life to all of us, and it inspired all of us.”
Conant had anticipated her to maintain residing. He had even hoped they’d skydive once more, he mentioned Tuesday morning.
But when requested after her soar what she hoped to do subsequent, Hoffner shared a need to trip in a hot-air balloon. She needed to go up.
Funeral preparations are anticipated in early November, Conant mentioned.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”