Wally Funk, the pioneering aviator who became the oldest person to fly to space at age 82, died Wednesday in her Grapevine, Texas home. She was 87.
Funk reached her lifelong dream on July 20, 2021, when she flew aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket alongside company founder Jeff Bezos. At 82 years and 169 days old, she became the oldest woman ever to reach space, achieving a goal she had pursued for more than six decades.
Her path to space began in 1961, when Funk was the youngest participant in the privately funded “Women in Space Program,” later known as the Mercury 13. Thirteen female pilots underwent the same physiological and psychological screening tests as NASA’s Mercury astronauts, but none were selected for the space program. “NASA didn’t want women representing America in the space race with the Soviet Union,” according to reporting on the program, and Funk never became an astronaut through official channels—until Blue Origin’s commercial spaceflight.
Before her space flight, Funk built a legendary aviation career. In 1971, she became the first female FAA flight inspector. A year later, in 1974, she became the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, a role in which she investigated 450 accidents. Over her decades of flying, Funk accumulated 19,600 flight hours and earned numerous aviation certificates and ratings, including becoming one of the first 100 women to receive an Airline Transport Rating.
Funk began flying at age 9 with her first flying lesson in 1948 and enrolled in flight school at 16, according to the National Air and Space Museum. She served as a flight instructor, teaching hundreds of people to fly, and won multiple awards including the Outstanding Female Pilot trophy and the Alfred Alder Memorial Trophy twice as a member of the Flying Aggies, a group of student aviators competing in international collegiate air meets.
The City of Grapevine released a statement honoring her legacy: “Wally was a beloved Grapevine resident whose extraordinary accomplishments and generous spirit left an enduring legacy. The City of Grapevine proudly recognizes Wally Funk, whose extraordinary career has inspired generations by breaking barriers in aviation and space exploration.” In May 2024, Funk was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, recognizing her decades-long flight career.
Sources
- WFAA — confirmed Funk’s death at age 87 in Grapevine, Texas on July 8, 2026, and her 1961 participation in the Mercury 13 program
- Blue Origin — documented her July 20, 2021 New Shepard spaceflight as the oldest person to fly to space
- Wikipedia — provided details on her 19,600 flight hours, Mercury 13 participation, and career firsts as first female FAA inspector and NTSB investigator
- AOPA — confirmed her 19,600 flight hours and career achievements
- National Air and Space Museum — documented her first flying lesson at age 9 in 1948 and enrollment in flight school at 16
