Wally Funk, the pioneering American aviator who shattered barriers to become the oldest woman to launch into space, has died at the age of 87. According to officials in Grapevine, Texas, where she resided for 12 years, Funk passed away from natural causes at her home on Wednesday, July 8.
Funk’s lifelong pursuit of space travel culminated in 2021 when, at 82 years old, she joined the crew of Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-16 mission. The flight included Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark Bezos, and Dutch tourist Oliver Daemen. Reflecting on the mission, Bezos noted that Funk had waited six decades for the opportunity, adding that she was fearless and eager to return to space immediately after landing. Blue Origin praised her legacy, stating that her story would continue to inspire future explorers.
Her journey to space began long before her 2021 launch. In the early 1960s, Funk was a member of the Mercury 13, a group of women who underwent the same rigorous physiological testing as NASA’s male astronauts. Despite outperforming many of her male counterparts, she was denied the opportunity to fly at the time because NASA did not accept women as astronauts. Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O’Dell honored her memory, stating that Funk’s determination proved dreams have no expiration date and that her resilience continues to inspire young girls to pursue science and aviation.
Throughout her distinguished career, Funk logged over 30,000 flight hours and trained more than 3,000 pilots. She served as an airline transport pilot, an international aviation expert, and was the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration. She also made history as the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. After her historic 2021 space flight, the city of Grapevine held a parade in her honor, celebrating her as a local icon.
While Funk held the record for the oldest person to reach space following her 2021 flight, that record was subsequently surpassed by actor William Shatner and former astronaut candidate Ed Dwight, both of whom launched with Blue Origin at the age of 90. Despite the eventual shift in records, Funk remained enthusiastic about her experience, simply stating, “I loved it… I want to go again, fast.”
"Wally Funk waited 60 years to get to space, and no one ever earned it more. She trained with the Mercury 13 in 1961, out-tested the men, and was told no anyway," the Amazon founder turned space entrepreneur said in a statement. "Five years ago this month, I had the honor of flying with her on New Shepard's first crewed flight. At 82, she was fearless, joyful, and asking to go again before we’d even landed."
