The Dream
Pettit, an 84-year-old resident of Freedom Plaza Peoria, Arizona, was honored she won her Experience of a Lifetime - skydiving.
In her winning essay, Pettit wrote, "George Bush, Sr. did it at age 80. I'm just 84 and in pretty good health. Therefore, I'd love to fulfill this lifetime wish." "This would be further proof that an older person can still dream and do many things," she said.
The Experience
Pettit jumped from 13,000 feet in a tandem skydive. She and a skydiving instructor were in freefall for about 53 seconds before pulling the parachute's cord and floating downward for four minutes.
"Being up in the clouds was for real," said Pettit. "This was really living." Nearly 40 family, friends, residents and staff of Freedom Plaza cheered her on as they watched her land.
The Memory
"This brought our community together as we celebrated with Jean on her achievement," said Julia Harvey, resident of Freedom Plaza. "It was the most exciting thing for me to see a resident do since I have been at Freedom Plaza," said resident Elsie Coates. "She's a sweet, gentle, smiling woman," said Abe Meth, resident of Freedom Plaza. "I have never expected her to have the guts to do it, but when she was coming down it seemed like angels visiting."
"The event generated interesting side conversations among the residents," said Lori Krominga, human resources director of Freedom Plaza. "Residents began talking about their own experiences in the military, various airplane flights, and serving in World War II. It sparked lots of stories, anecdotes, and reminiscing."
“This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life so far,” said Pettit. “The only thing to top the skydive would be to take a trip to the moon!”
Back to Main Experiences of a Lifetime Page