Wally Funk, the oldest woman to travel to space, died at the age of 87. Born Mary Wallace ‘Wally’ Funk, she made her historic spaceflight in 2021 at age 82 aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft — a milestone that made her the oldest woman ever to fly in space.
Trailblazer in Aviation and Space
Funk passed away on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at her home in Grapevine, Texas, from natural causes, surrounded by family. Her death was confirmed by a spokesperson for the city of Grapevine and announced publicly by Blue Origin — the private space company founded by Jeff Bezos — via its X (formerly Twitter) account.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Wally Funk. Wally was a pioneer in every sense of the word,” Blue Origin wrote. “In her 20s, she was the first female civilian flight instructor at a U.S. military base. She became the youngest of the Mercury 13, outperforming nearly every test put in front…”
The company added: “We are honored to have been part of her journey.”
A Lifetime of Firsts
Funk broke barriers throughout her career. She was the first woman to serve as an aircraft safety inspector for the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the first female flight instructor certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In the early 1960s, she completed the same rigorous physical and psychological testing as NASA’s Mercury astronauts as part of the unofficial ‘Mercury 13’ program — a group of women who demonstrated they were qualified for spaceflight, though none were selected for NASA missions at the time.
Daphne O’Neil, a longtime friend and member of the Grapevine City Council, paid tribute on Facebook, writing that Funk’s unwavering determination showed “dreams have no expiration date.”