Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago woman whose recent skydive could see her certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to ever jump from a plane, has died.

Hoffner’s close friend, Joe Conant, said she was found dead Monday morning by staff at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community. Conant said Hoffner apparently died in her sleep on Sunday night.

Conant, who is a nurse, said he met Hoffner — whom he called Grandma at her request — several years ago while he was working as a caregiver for another resident at the senior living center. He said she had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp.

“She was indefatigable. She just kept going,” he said Tuesday. “She was not someone who would take naps in the afternoon, or not show up for any function, dinner or anything else. She was always there, fully present. She kept going, always.”

169 points

It sounds like Dorothy lived life on her terms, right to the end.

Respect.

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51 points

Something in her was like “gotta make it to 100…”

Then she did and must’ve been thinking “well is that it? I am awfully tired all the time. Guess I am getting weaker. Oh!! I never skydived!! Okay gotta skydive, then we’re good to go 😊”

Skydives

Naps forever

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16 points

Sorry, but it appears you are quite wrong.

From the article:

“She was indefatigable. She just kept going,” he said Tuesday. “She was not someone who would take naps in the afternoon, or not show up for any function, dinner or anything else. She was always there, fully present. She kept going, always.”

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11 points

I think they meant she was saving up all of her naps for that real big one we all get at the end.

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6 points

She’d skydived as a senior citizen many times before her latest jump, that one was just to go for the record.

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35 points

Cut down in her prime

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14 points

Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, now Dorothy. We’ll never get to see what else they might have done had they not been snatched from us early by that cruel bitch fate.

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119 points

Good, going out on a high note is great.

Plus the benefit that her actual death was in her sleep.

My grandma wasn’t skydiving, but she also died in her sleep, which was great. Was well the days before, then went to bed and never woke up. Much prefered to how grandpa slowly died of cancer while also having Alzheimers. That wasn’t fun for anyone. Never waking up is certainly one of the best deaths one can have.

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12 points

That’s how my grandmother went out. Definitely preferable to many other ways. :( Sorry you had to go through that. Dementia of any kind is horrible.

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12 points

I didn’t have to go through it directly. I was a child and my grandma didn’t let me see my grandfather in his past months. It apparently was really bad and she wanted me to keep the memory of how he was when he was well. Heck, while the older family members got to visit, she basically took over the care on her own. She shouldered this burden of him losing himself so nobody else had to and continued on another decade afterwards. She was quite the strong woman.

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74 points

No one’s going to say anything about “indefatigable”? Am I the only illiterate here that’s never heard of this word?

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48 points

It’s a really uncommon word. But hey, you get to be one of today’s lucky 10,000.

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6 points

Okay so it’s actually pronounceable. According to google it goes like: in-dee-fa-tu-ga-bull

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5 points

Well… I guess I’ve never heard it spoken before lol

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0 points

The stick guy in the second panel looks like he’s bursting for a pish

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10 points

I only know it thanks to the Camelot song from Holy Grail.

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7 points

In war we’re tough and able

Quite indefatigable

Between our quests we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable

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2 points

I have to push the pram a lot.

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9 points
Removed by mod
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11 points

Why in- and de- tho?

To me that sounds like she couldn’t have her fatigue reversed.

But, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were correct, language gonna language.

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11 points
*

It’s an old pigeon French use, if you’re interested in that sort of thing it’s etymology.

Namely there are several warships named indefatigable.

https://www.etymonline.com/word/indefatigable

1580s (implied in indefatigably), from French indefatigable (15c.), from Latin indefatigabilis “that cannot be wearied,” from in- “not” (see in- (1)) + defatigare “to tire out,” from de- “utterly, down, away” (see de-) + fatigare “to weary” (see fatigue (n.)).

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3 points

Welcome to English, no it doesn’t make sense and it contradicts it’s own supposed “rules” constantly, but it’s made of a hodgepodge of other languages, as well as slang that evolved from both it and those other languages, so what do you expect?

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2 points

I prefer unfatigable myself.

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1 point

inflammable means flammable?! What a country!

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8 points

I would say you are more literate because it’s in the last sentence, most people never read that far.

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7 points

It’s not as common now as it used to be, and even back then it wasn’t really common, but it’s kind of like the word “inauspicious.” I had never heard anyone use the word before, but then I went to India and every English speaking Indian seemed to use the word regularly. It was weird.

But yeah, indefatigable is a word I’ve heard before, both spoken in older movies and in older books.

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2 points
*

I’d put money on the nurse being a roleplayer / watcher. It’s a character attribute you can have in DnD 5e and I believe pops up in a few other tabletop games, so like, golems/robots “don’t get tired.”

Also totally possible he just likes older media of course.

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1 point

Hornblower?

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6 points

In war we’re tough and able, Quite indefatigable. Between our quests we sequin vests and impersonate Clark Gable.

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5 points

I. Have. To. Push. The. Pram a loooooot.

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4 points

my thought process was IN (no) and FATIGUE (tired) per context clues it seems like someone who doesnt get tired

idk the word tho

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5 points

That is roughly what it means, yeah.

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4 points

Yes

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2 points

It’s a perfectly cromulent word!

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3 points

Indubitably

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2 points

I came here to see if anybody else had that as a wordly wise word in high school

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2 points

LOVELESS Yes, Mr. West, I’m sure a well- endowed blackamoor like yourself must find it absolutely impossible… that a freak like me could fully enjoy the pleasure of a woman. But having witnessed my use of mechinology so far… wouldn’t you think I could provide myself with something for the lower half of my body that was hard-pumping and indefatigably steely?

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1 point
-3 points
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Deleted by creator
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1 point

That could be a silly little workplace game, everyone is told the WoTD in chat in the morning, and everyone just memes on it all day.

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50 points

Kinda sad, but at the same time, I wish for this myself when being old. Dieing after having my most ambitious dreams being fulfilled, not looking back about missed opportunities or regrets.

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27 points

The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, the second best time is now.

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12 points

Well, get on with it then

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1 point

I want my last words to be “pull my finger” so I can giggle as I pass with a death fart

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1 point

definitely hope it’s in my sleep or on a lot of opiates

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47 points

See this tale to a triumphant conclusion, and with elation in your heart, bid the final curtain fall.

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19 points

Yep.

Do not go gently into that good night.

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

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0 points
*

If life seems jolly rotten,

There’s something you’ve forgotten,

And that’s to laugh and smile and dance and sing.

When you’re feeling in the dumps,

Don’t be silly, chumps,

Just purse your lips and whistle,

That’s the thing.

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