{"id":6853,"date":"2026-07-09T19:01:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6853"},"modified":"2026-07-09T19:01:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:01:59","slug":"wally-funk-north-texas-astronaut-and-aviation-pioneer-dies-at-87","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6853","title":{"rendered":"Wally Funk, North Texas astronaut and aviation pioneer, dies at 87"},"content":{"rendered":"

GRAPEVINE, Texas<\/strong> – <\/span>Wally Funk, a Grapevine woman who broke barriers as an astronaut and an aviation pioneer, has died. She was 87 years old.<\/p>

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Aviation Pioneer\u2019s Passing<\/h2>
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What we know:<\/p>

Funk died on Wednesday night surrounded by loved ones, according to the city of Grapevine.<\/p>

What they’re saying:<\/p>

Grapevine leaders called Funk a beloved resident whose extraordinary accomplishments and generous spirit left an enduring legacy.<\/p>

“Wally Funk\u2019s unwavering determination proves that dreams have no expiration date,” said Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O\u2019Dell. “Her courage, resilience, and groundbreaking achievements continue to inspire young people\u2014especially girls\u2014to pursue careers in science, aviation, and space exploration. Grapevine is honored to call Wally Funk one of our own.”\u00a0<\/p>

Wally Funk in Space<\/h2>
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Oliver Daemen, Wally Funk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Bezos will be on New Shepard\u2019s first human flight. (Photo credit: FOX)<\/span> <\/p> <\/div><\/div>

In 2021, Funk achieved her lifelong dream of going to space with Jeff Bezos as part of the first human space flight of the Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft.<\/p>

She was 82 years old at the time and became the oldest woman to travel to space.<\/p>

“Nothing has ever gotten in my way,” Funk said before the launch. “They said, \u2018Well, you\u2019re a girl, you can\u2019t do that.\u2019 I said, \u2019Guess what, doesn\u2019t matter what you are. You can still do it if you want to do it and I like to do things that nobody has ever done.”<\/p>

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