Aviation Pioneer Wally Funk Dies at 87, Remembered for Mercury 13 and Spaceflight Legacy
Mary Wallace "Wally" Funk, the youngest member of the first "Women in Space Program," later known as the Mercury 13, died at her home in Grapevine, Texas, on Wednesday night. She was 87. In 1961 Funk at 22 volunteered for the Women in Space program, which was created to train women as astronauts. The program was privately created by physician William Lovelace II and funded by Jacqueline Cochran, who in 1943 created the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs). Cochran felt that women were more physiologically suited to the space program than men because they tended to be smaller and therefore lighter and consumed less oxygen—aspects critical to space flight. NASA was not keen on the idea of sending a woman into space since the men's training program was still in its infancy, and the agency was focused on that. READ MORE: Wally Funk: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, All the Way to Space READ MORE: Wally Funk Sets World Record During Space Flight The Women in Space Program had the women training individually or in pairs. They performed the same grueling tests and physical training as the NASA-funded male candidates. The program was shut down in 1961 when NASA mandated that astronaut candidates be military test pilots. At the time women were not permitted to serve in that capacity. However, Funk would earn her chance to go into space in 2021 at 82 when she flew aboard Blue Origin's suborbital New Shepard- 16 mission to become the oldest person (82) at that time to accomplish that feat, breaking the record held by John Glenn for 23 years. We are deeply saddened by the passing of Wally Funk. Wally was a pioneer in every sense of the word. 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… pic.twitter.com/XIDWFXSfaq — Blue Origin (@blueorigin) July 9, 2026 Early Life Born on February 1, 1939, in Las Vegas, New Mexico, self-declared tomboy Funk insisted on being called "Wally." She grew up in Taos, New Mexico, where she excelled in hunting and fishing and outdoor sports, especially skiing. In 1956 her parents sent her to Stephens College, a two-year preparatory school for women in Columbia, Missouri. The Funk family was not terribly well off, and according to Promised The Moon: The Untold Story of the First Women in the Space Race by Stephanie Nolan, when Funk boarded the train and saw other girls heading for Stephens College dressed in tailored suits and fancy hats, she realized she would not fit in with her more plain clothes. Determined to receive an education, she went anyway. The year 2021 saw aviation legend Wally Funk (pictured in 1961) finally fulfill her dream to fly into space. [Credit: National Air & Space Museum] When she was home on winter break, a skiing accident put her in a half body cast. The doctor said she would never walk again, but she did, and she returned to school, although the cast made it impossible to sit down. A teacher suggested she enroll in the aviation course as a distraction. Funk began taking flying lessons and soon realized she loved it. Not only because of the freedom she felt in the air but also because the girls enrolled in the program were allowed to break the school dress code requiring skirts. Girls in the aviation program were allowed to wear trousers on days they flew. Funk arranged her schedule so she flew every day. She joined the school flying team and competed in collegiate flying meets, winning many awards. In the meantime she pursued a degree in education with the intent of teaching. She graduated from Stephens in 1960, the same year she earned her flight instructor certificate and went to work instructing at a local flying club. Later Impact Despite the early dashing of her astronaut dreams, Funk went on to have an impact in the aviation world. She was both the first woman to become an FAA inspector and National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator. Funk's friends said she flew every chance she could, and her experience included military as well as civilian aircraft. Aviation pioneer Wally Funk died on July 8, 2026, at age 87. [Credit: FLYING Archive] Funk was an active member of several aviation groups. She was a celebrity favorite at the annual Women in Aviation International (WAI) conventions, where she often taught seminars on how to perform a thorough preflight inspection and was often surrounded by admirers who asked questions and posed for selfies with her. Funk will be particularly remembered for her energy. When the WAI's house band played a conga, it was Funk who led the line.