Paul Grimme, 94, traveled all the way to Middletown, Ohio, with one and just one aim – to skydive.
Paul, from Northern Kentucky, has been planning to skydive for a long time but every time he was near his dream, something happened to set him back.
Watch this man skydive below.
[rumble video_id=v5mxa1 domain_id=u7nb2]
Video credit: Rumble
Earlier this year, Paul’s granddaughter Tara Kleier gave him a surprise by buying him skydiving tickets but unfavorable weather, a fall, and appendicitis held him back from fulfilling his dream.
Still, none of that was enough to stop Paul from pursuing his dream.
He always gave the example of the former US president, George H.W. Bush, who skydived for the first time at an age of over 90.
“I gave it to him for his birthday in April,” Tara said of the skydiving tickets. “We’ve been trying since then to do this… but today’s the day!” she added.
Tara wasn’t the only one who was excited about Paul’s skydive.
“I got clearance from all the doctors and nurses,” said Paul. “They’re all looking forward to this. They want me to keep them updated on what’s going to happen.”
The flight he had to board was on Sunday and the fact that Saturday marked his 75th wedding anniversary made Paul quite nostalgic because his wife passed away.
The couple tied the knot when they were both just 19 years old. They later went on to raise a family of 7 kids, 17 grandkids, 23 great-grandkids and two great-great grandkids.
“She also was an idol of my life,” Paul said of his wife.
“One of the ladies at the gym that I go to even mentioned ‘your wife will be better when you jump. But one thing about it — she won’t need a parachute. She’ll be alongside you.’”
Paul boarded the flight from which he had to execute the jump about noon on Sunday. He was wearing a blue flight suit and his grandchildren were watching him.
And then came the moment when Paul fell hundreds of feet in seconds, in the sunny Middletown sky, before opening the parachute and landing safely.
Paul’s instructor said he enjoyed great views with ‘tremendous’ wind around him.
“I just couldn’t get over the scenery. That’s what I saw when I looked down,” said Paul. But that was not the only thing he was thinking of when he was diving.
“I was thinking of her, too,” he said. “I didn’t see her. I thought maybe she would join me.”
After the successful dive, the instructor said Paul was a natural skydiver. “I think we’re going to go again for 95 next year,” the instructor said.
Paul replied he’d love to go skydiving any given day just “not today.”
Replaced!