Great-grandma skydives for 92nd birthday
Meet Phyllis Guthrie, the great-grandma who just celebrated her 92nd birthday by skydiving.
Anybody who knows Phyllis wouldn’t be surprised by her daring choice of birthday celebration. At age 78, Phyllis earned a doctorate degree in education. At 82, she climbed a mountain in the Alps. And at age 87, she acted in The Vagina Monologues. So it only seems fitting that the great-grandmother decided to jump out of a plane at age 92.
Two days after her birthday, Phyllis wore her most sensible orthopedic shoes, had a coffee with her daughter, and then drove to an open field.
"I feel kind of numb," the Texas woman said. "I don't feel nervous at all. I'm not afraid. I just feel sort of level."
The retired professor – who has four children, five grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren – said sky-diving has always been on her bucket list.
"I want to leave a legacy," she said. "Someday, people can say, 'Do you remember that lady who jumped out of an airplane?'”
And they certainly will, as Phyllis’ skydive went off without a hitch. As she landed, she exclaimed, "That sure was something.”
As the instructors helped her untangle herself from the parachute, Ian Houchin, a fellow jumper, offered an arm. "You are my hero," he said. "Do you think you'd do this again?"
"Well, yes," she replied. "But not now."
Resting on a picnic bench after the adrenaline-filled adventure, Phyllis said, "I can't believe I did it. I'll tell you the strangest part. Getting pushed out of the plane. You don't have time to think. It feels like you're falling forever."
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