Wally Funk, the historic aviation pioneer and oldest woman to travel to space, died peacefully at her residence in Grapevine, Texas on 8 July 2026 at age 87. At 82, she became the oldest person ever to fly to space during Blue Origin’s NS-16 suborbital flight on 20 July 2021, fulfilling a dream pursued for nearly 60 years after being excluded from NASA’s astronaut program as part of the Mercury 13. Funk was the only Mercury 13 member to reach space, holding the Guinness World Record for the oldest woman in space until later surpassed by William Shatner. Her legacy bridges early aviation heritage and modern commercial spaceflight, underscoring how private operators now enable historic figures to achieve spaceflight dreams previously reserved for government astronauts.