Wally Funk

Wally Funk, 87, died on July 8, 2026. Wally Funk was known publicly as an American aviator and commercial astronaut. Mary Wallace Funk (born February 1, 1939) is an American aviator, commercial astronaut, and goodwill ambassador. She was the first female air safety investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, the first female civilian flight instructor at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and the first female Federal Aviation Administration inspector, as well as one of the Mercury 13. Funk became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021, at age 82, flying on Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft during its suborbital flight, breaking a record held by John Glenn for 23 years. Her record would stand until later that year when William Shatner's flight took place on October 13; Shatner was age 90 at the time. Funk remains the oldest woman to have travelled into space. Public biographical listings identify Funk as an American aviator and commercial astronaut. This public record remains centered on Funk's work as an American aviator and commercial astronaut and the documented milestones of that career.