MIDDLEBURG – Former Superintendent Dr. Ann B. Wiggins celebrated her 90th birthday by jumping from an airplane.

The longtime educator said after watching birds “float” around her back porch, she put skydiving on her bucket list.

And when she turned 90 last week, she pulled the cord – literally – on the idea.

“It was very interesting,” she said. “You have nothing beside you to give you a reference for speed. So, it’s just like you’re floating on air. It’s quiet. It’s really very serene and very peaceful. I really enjoyed it.”

She’s had a desire to skydive for a while after seeing birds in her back yard.

“I watch the hawks and the birds basically fly and sometimes I look at them and they’re just floating,” she said.

Wiggins joined by her five children at Skydive DeLand in Volusia County. Her abilities and desired aren’t restricted by age.

“I never really thought about it. It was, just keep going,” Wiggins said. “I never thought ‘OK at 65 I’m going to die or when I’m 85.’ I never thought that way. Actually, I still don’t even think that way.”

Over the past 90 years, Wiggins has enjoyed an adventurous life. She was born in Brooklyn, New York and due to her husband’s career in the U.S. Air Force, she traveled around the world to places like England and Turkey.

When her husband retired in 1976, they moved to Florida where she taught at Christ the King, a Catholic school in Jacksonville. She graduated from University of Maryland with her B.A. and from University of North Florida with her M.A. and Doctorate in Education. She was the Superintendent of Clay County Schools for eight years from 1985 to 1992.

Wiggins remains active in clubs like the Federated Republican Women. She also is the president of South Clay Republican Club and attends the Men’s Club meetings, and she has four grandsons and seven great-grandchildren.