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.

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.”

  • NightAuthor@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

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

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.world
      0·
      1 year ago

      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.

      • turmacar@lemmy.world
        0·
        1 year ago

        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.

    • hactar42@lemmy.ml
      0·
      1 year ago

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

      • NightAuthor@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        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.

      • NightAuthor@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        1 year ago

        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.

        • asexualchangeling@lemmy.ml
          0·
          1 year ago

          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?

        • Madison420@lemmy.world
          0·
          1 year ago

          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.)).

            • Madison420@lemmy.world
              0·
              1 year ago

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

              Old English hat “hot, flaming, opposite of cold,” used of the sun or air, of fire, of objects made hot; also “fervent, fierce, intense, excited,” from Proto-Germanic *haita- (source also of Old Saxon and Old Frisian het, Old Norse heitr, Middle Dutch and Dutch heet, German heiß “hot,” Gothic heito “heat of a fever”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Lithuanian kaisti “to grow hot;” both could be from a substratum word.

    • meliorit@lemmynsfw.com
      0·
      1 year ago

      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?

    • sock@lemmy.world
      0·
      1 year ago

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

      idk the word tho