STILLWATER, Okla. (KFOR) – Wally Funk, who made history as the oldest woman to travel into space, has passed away at the age of 87. Her death was announced by officials in Grapevine, Texas, the city she called home.
The city reported that Funk passed peacefully on Wednesday night, with family and friends by her side.
Funk’s storied career in aviation spanned more than seventy years, during which she became a pivotal figure in NASA’s legacy. As one of the Mercury 13 in the 1960s, she pursued her dream of becoming an astronaut, despite NASA’s decision to end their women’s program, resulting in four rejections for Funk.
Her unwavering ambition finally paid off on July 20, 2021, when she joined Jeff Bezos aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard NS-16 mission. At 82, she set a Guinness World Record as the oldest woman to venture into space.
“No one has waited longer,” Jeff Bezos remarked in an Instagram post, recognizing Funk as an “honored guest.” He warmly welcomed her to the crew, stating, “It’s time. Welcome to the crew, Wally.”
“The launch was so fantastic. You can’t believe it. We learned to sit in and out of our seats a lot. My seat was No. 3. And you have to strap, left, front, this one, this one and be completely buckled in hard,” Funk said afterward. “And they would come check and see if it was hard enough, and if it wasn’t hard enough, he would just do it for you. I sat there, and we took off, and it was fantastic.”
The Oklahoma State University (OSU) graduate is also a proud member of the Flying Aggies team.
Spending 62 miles above the Earth’s surface, Funk described the experience, saying, “When we got into space, it was so fabulous,” she told The McKnight Center crowd at OSU. “The whole flight was so easy; it was incredible.”
Funk is known for inspiring people around the world and holds a list of pilot certifications she earned at Oklahoma State University. While breaking the glass ceiling for women, Funk was also a dedicated member of the Oklahoma City-based Ninety-Nines International Organization for Women Pilots.
Funk’s other accomplishments include becoming the first female flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma; inspector for the FAA; and air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board. As an instructor, Funk trained more than 3,000 pilots over more than 30,000 hours of flight time, the City of Grapevine said.
She stands in the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame and the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame, and is an Honorary Colonel of Louisiana. Posthumously, Funk will be inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame at the New Mexico Museum of Space History.
“You have to be your own person. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do,” Funk said during an event at Oklahoma State honoring her accomplishments.
“Wally Funk’s unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date,” said Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O’Dell. “Her courage, resilience, and groundbreaking achievements continue to inspire young people—especially girls—to pursue careers in science, aviation, and space exploration. Grapevine is honored to call Wally Funk one of our own.”
Funeral arrangements for Funk have not been released at this time.