Wally Funk, a pioneering aviator and member of the Mercury 13 astronaut program, has died at the age of 87. Over an aviation career spanning eight decades, Funk broke numerous gender barriers and played a significant role in advancing opportunities for women in flight.

Born Mary Wallace Funk in Las Vegas, New Mexico, she grew up in Taos, where her parents operated a store serving tourists. Her passion for flying began early, recalling childhood antics that foreshadowed her lifelong commitment to aviation. After leaving high school at 16, Funk enrolled at Stephens College in Missouri, which offered a women’s aviation program. She later transferred to Oklahoma State University and competed on the collegiate Flying Aggies aviation team.

At age 20, Funk became the first female civilian flight instructor for the U.S. military at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. She went on to become the Federal Aviation Administration’s first female flight inspector in 1971 and, three years later, the National Transport Safety Board’s first female instructor. In addition to these roles, she operated her own flight school in Taos, training more than 800 pilots, and worked as a commercial pilot and charter operator.

Funk’s lifelong aspiration to become an astronaut was central to her career. In the early 1960s, she joined the privately funded Woman in Space Program, later known as Mercury 13, undergoing the same rigorous tests as the male Mercury astronauts. Her results were among the highest, yet NASA, at the time, required astronauts to be military-trained pilots—a requirement that excluded women and ended her direct path to space. Despite the Soviet Union sending Valentina Tereshkova into orbit in 1963, NASA did not send a woman to space until Sally Ride’s flight in 1983.

Undeterred, Funk continued astronaut training abroad, including zero-gravity simulations at Star City near Moscow. She finally reached space in 2021 aboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard spacecraft alongside Jeff Bezos, his brother, and others. At 82, Funk became the oldest woman to fly in space. Blue Origin recalled her as a humbling presence and honored her lifelong dedication to aviation and space exploration.

Funk was recognized for her achievements with induction into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame in 1995 and the National Air and Space Museum’s Wall of Honor in 2017. After her spaceflight, she was awarded astronaut wings. Her memoir, co-written with Loretta Hall, was adapted into a young adult book published in 2025.

Throughout her career, Funk advocated persistently for women’s equality in aviation and beyond. Reflecting on the obstacles she faced, she maintained that determination was key: “It doesn’t matter what you are, you can still do it if you want to do it.” Her legacy endures as a testament to breaking barriers in the face of institutional resistance.