73-year-old in hospice care skydives for first time
By Sue Erwin, The Observer
PUNTA GORDA — When hospice nurse Dawn Wheeler asked George Downing if there was anything left on his bucket list, he said he wanted to jump out of a plane.
The 73-year-old former Army fighter pilot has been battling lung cancer at Tidewell Hospice since December.
“I’m dying anyway — so why not jump?” Downing said.
This past Wednesday was his first skydiving experience.
“It sure was a rush … that was pretty damn cool,” he said afterward.
