Wally Funk, Aviation Pioneer Who Flew to Space at 82, Dies at 87

Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who flew aboard a Blue Origin rocket at age 82, died Wednesday at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Texas. She was 87. Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O’Dell, who described herself as Funk’s caregiver, said she was at her side.

O’Dell said Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and had a leg infection. “It took its toll,” O’Dell said. Funk was one of 13 female pilots who underwent the same tests as NASA’s all-male astronaut corps in the early 1960s.

In 2021, Jeff Bezos selected her as an honored guest on the Blue Origin flight from West Texas. At the time she became the oldest person to reach space, though William Shatner and Ed Dwight later broke the record at age 90. Funk was the first female inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration and the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, according to a biography released by the City of Grapevine.

“Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans. Godspeed, Wally,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X.