At 90, Woman Fulfills Lifelong Dream Of Skydiving On Her Birthday And Advises ‘Do What You Want’ While You Still Can

Jul 25, 2023

A bucket list is a list of things, achievements, activities or experiences a person hopes to accomplish during their lifetime. It is an itemized list of dreams people want to fulfill before they kick the bucket. There is a fine line between a bucket list and goals; in certain instances, they can be used interchangeably.

There are two groups of people. The first are people who live their lives caught up in the flurry of day-to-day activities without setting specific goals or plans. Meanwhile, the second group of people has laid down plans, dreams, goals and objectives that they live by. People who set goals do more than just write them down; they make active moves toward achieving them with periodic appraisals to see how much they have achieved and the ground they have to cover.

The objective of writing a bucket list is simply to remind people of all the goals they plan to achieve in their time on earth; it is not a list that should create a fear-based mentality toward the end of life. Also, it is not a list that is limited to a certain age group. Oftentimes, setting goals is a thing for young people. For many old people, the excuse for not setting and fulfilling goals is that they are too old for that and/or that it could have been easier for them to achieve if they were younger. 

However, this wasn’t the case with a 90-year-old Arizona Valley woman, Marg Burg, who proved that age is no barrier to setting goals and fulfilling them. On July 20, 2023, she celebrated her 90th birthday by fulfilling her lifelong dream of skydiving.

Burg has struck one daring box off her bucket list. She went to new heights to celebrate her 90th birthday and fulfill her lifelong dream of going skydiving. With Skydive Buckeye's help, the nonagenarian could cross skydiving off her list. In an interview with AZFamily, Burg revealed that her oldest son was initially ruffled when she told him about her 90th birthday plans but finally agreed to it after she calmed him down.

“I told my son, my oldest son, and he just about hit the roof, and then I calmed him down and said, look, that’s what I want to do,” Burg said. “I'm always on the edge of doing things a little different,” she added. 

Burg’s daring feat was inspired by former President George H. W. Bush, who skydived for his 90th birthday in 2014. 

“If he can do it, I can do it when I reach 90,” she said. “Lord never thought I’d reach 90. So, here I am and I’m going to jump.”

On D-day, Burg was put in a harness and given the safety instructions after signing all the necessary waivers. Right after, she went up to 14,000 feet in the air and took the leap with several others. 

Burg had one minute of free fall, and it turned out to be her favorite part of the experience.

“It was great, just like I was flying,” Burg said.

After the free fall, the skydiver pulled the chute, and it was a five-minute ride down. Burg was all smiles when she touched down. She was applauded by her family, who flew in from Tennessee to witness Burg fulfill her dream. In the end, Burg had a word of advice on living life.

 “Do what you want to do while you can still do it,” Burg said.

What do you think of Marg Burg skydiving on her 90th birthday? Do you think she is courageous for attempting skydiving at that age? Do you have a bucket list? How many boxes have you ticked on your bucket list? Let us know and — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members.