Wally Funk, a North Texas aviation pioneer and the oldest person to ever go to space, has died. She was 87.
The city of Grapevine announced her death Thursday, calling her a “global symbol of determination, perseverance and excellence.”
Funk, born in 1939, was known for breaking gender barriers for women in aviation. She earned her pilot's license at 17.
She was one of 13 women selected for the Mercury 13 — also known as the First Lady Astronaut Trainees — program, passing the same physical and mental tests as NASA’s male astronauts, though the agency did not allow women to become astronauts at the time.
Funk didn’t let that stop her from pursuing a career in aviation. According to the city of Grapevine, she was one of the first female flight instructors at Fort Still, Oklahoma, and the first woman inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration. She also trained more than 3,000 pilots as a flight instructor.
In 2021, at the age of 82, Funk became the oldest person to go to space, joining the crew of Amazon founder Jeff Bezo’s Blue Origin New Shepard NS-16 mission. She was the only member of Mercury 13 to make it to space.
In 2024, she was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame.
“Wally Funk’s unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date,” Grapevine City Council member Duff O’Dell, a friend of Funk’s, said in a statement. “Grapevine is honored to call Wally Funk one of our own.”
Avery Escamilla-Wendell is KERA’s news intern. Got a tip? Email Avery at aescamillawendell@kera.org. You can follow heron Instagram @by_avery_escamilla.
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