Twelve children, 34 grandchildren, 64 great-grandchildren, and 24 great-great-grandchildren.
That’s the legacy built by World War II Navy veteran, Jimmy Hernandez, who turned 100 years old last week.
And how did Jimmy decide to celebrate this unbelievable milestone? Well, by jumping out of a plane from 13,000 feet in the air, of course.
“I know that I'm a 100, but I don't feel that way,” Jimmy said after his safe landing.
That’s evident the moment you enter a room with Jimmy. Aside from needing to have a question repeated now and then, Jimmy exudes the energy and spirit of a younger man– with a smile to match. He even drove himself 300 miles to Davis from his home in San Luis Obispo, and plans to drive the 4.5 hours back home.
Jimmy first considered skydiving after seeing former President George H.W. Bush jump in 2014 at the age of 90. It wasn’t until a few years ago he decided to seriously go through with it, though he waited until his 100th birthday figuring it was a nice round number to get it done.
“I have never celebrated my birthday,” Jimmy said. “A lot of people look forward [to their] birthday. But I had a lot of family to take care of. So, I never thought about that.”
When asked if he was at all scared of the jump, Jimmy confidently said “No.”
“Why should I be?,” Jimmy responded. “Even if it was the last thing that happened, I'm not scared. I’ve lived already– and when the Lord lets you live this long, that's all that matters.”
Jimmy has certainly lived. Born on August 29, 1925, in the middle of the Roaring 20s, he grew up in a family of agricultural workers. He later went on to serve in the US Navy aboard a destroyer tender in the Pacific.
During the war, his family briefly took over a Japanese-American family farm located near Sacramento when they were sent to an internment camp, along with thousands of others, following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066. The Hernandez family then returned the land to the Takeuchi's following the end of the war.
After his military service, he came to Sacramento and became a carpenter. Jimmy now has over 120 descendants–many of whom gathered for a family reunion at SkyDance Skydiving in Davis to watch three generations parachute down together.
“I'm glad that somebody showed up,” Jimmy joked.
“He's a hard-working man, a loving man,” said Andrew Hernandez, Jimmy’s son. “This is a testament to him. You see all the people that are here…all the family members that showed up for this event. It's just that's how our family is. We're very tight, close, and our patriarchs have instilled that in us.”
Andrew said he was honored to be the one to jump with his father. Jimmy’s desire to skydive didn’t come as a shock to his son. Andrew recalled a story during a trip to Las Vegas decades ago when he first saw the Big Shot, a 160-foot tower ride atop the Stratosphere hotel and casino [now known as The Strat].
Andrew tried to goad his father into riding the ride with him as a joke– but to his surprise Jimmy was all for it.
“I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, like what did I just get myself into?’" Andrew said. “That was kind of the nexus for this [skydiving] as well. He said, ‘I'm going to do it.’ I'm like, ‘Well, I guess now I got to do it too.’ Then my son was quick to join. He's a thrill seeker so he was right on board for sure.”
100-year-old Jimmy Hernandez (left) walking out of the SkyDance Skydiving hangar with his son Andrew (right) to board the airplane.Chris Felts/CapRadio
With his jump on Friday, Jimmy became the unofficial record holder for the oldest person to complete a tandem skydive in the state of California. He beat out SkyDance Skydiving’s previous record from 90-year-old Shirley Tuter.
“It was amazing. I loved seeing it,” said Brian Naiman, SkyDance Skydiving’s managing partner and skydiving instructor. “He’s [Jimmy] a very nice gentleman. You can tell that he's lived through a lot.”
Naiman, a former engineer, said events like Jimmy’s birthday reminded him why he loves his job. He’s able to be with people during their special moments whether it be marriage proposals or people celebrating the freedom from drug or alcohol addiction. He said people he sees often need something new in their lives and want to see the world in a new perspective.
“It's just a big scary thing, right? It's unknown,” Naiman said. “Nobody knows what stepping out of that plane is going to be like. It takes a lot of courage and inner strength to do that for the first time. The reward you get from stepping up to the edge and stepping out and proving to yourself that you can do big scary hard things– it's just an amazing process.”
Jimmy Hernandez (right) in his jumpsuit with Skydance Skydiving managing partner and instructor Brian Naiman (left).Chris Felts/CapRadio
With helmet in hand, Jimmy left the hangar and walked the runway of the Yolo County Airport. Dozens of family members sent him off with positive affirmations, gratitude, and well wishes. Jimmy proceeded to step into the black-and-yellow Caravan 208, Naiman giving him last-minute tips along with Andrew and several other skydivers. A few minutes later he was off to 13,000 feet.
Jimmy Hernandez (right) and Brian Naiman (left) walk towards a Caravan 208 airplane.Chris Felts/CapRadio
Everyone who was in the hangar rushed over to the drop zone across the street from SkyDance Skydiving, meeting up with dozens of more family members who carried birthday balloons and signs featuring a cartoon version of Jimmy.
All eyes were towards the sky to get a glimpse of the plane circling. After about 15 minutes of searching, Jimmy’s plane was spotted as parachutes were seen opening. The last parachute to come down was the birthday boy, of course.
Jimmy, Andrew, and his grandson, Santiago, all made it to the ground safely with memories embedded in their minds and hearts forever.
“I'm just glad it's over with,” Jimmy said while battling to get his hearing aid back on which had to be removed for the jump. “That everything turned out the way it should have been.”
Jimmy thanked God for the 100 years he’s been given and hopes for more time. For now, he’ll end the day with a tradition he’s had for 20 years: a shot of Tequila.
Jimmy Hernandez and SkyDance Skydiving instructor Brian Naiman parachuting down to the drop zone in Davis, CA.Chris Felts/CapRadio
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