remembering janice mcnair

Houston Texans co-founder Janice McNair dies at 89, team says

Brookwood luncheon, Janice McNair, Bob McNair, Barbara Bush

Janice McNair, left, with her late husband Bob McNair and former First Lady Barbara Bush.

Courtesy photo

Janice McNair, the co-founder of the Houston Texans and senior chair of the organization, has passed away, the team announced on Tuesday.

In a social media post, the Texans said McNair passed away at the age of 89, surrounded by her family.

"Mom was exceptional. She exuded kindness, radiated joy, had an endless amount of hope and love, and lived an incredible life centered around faith, family, philanthropy and football," Texans Chair and CEO Cal McNair, Janice's son, said in a press release.

It is with profound sadness that we announce Houston Texans Co-Founder and Senior Chair Janice S. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston this afternoon with her family by her side. Mrs. McNair was 89 years old. pic.twitter.com/b242mS8w4V
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 14, 2026

McNair, who was a breast cancer survivor, grew up in South Carolina and was active in sports and student government before graduating from Columbia College.

The Texans co-founder and her husband, the late Bob McNair, moved to Houston in 1960 and started several of their philanthropic efforts within the community.

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Read the full story, with video, on CultureMap's news partner, ABC13.com.

deaths houston texans janice mcnair

RIP, Wally

Texan Wally Funk, oldest woman to travel into space, dies at 87

Wally Funk aboard Blue Origin New Shepard

Photo courtesy of Blue Origin

The 82-year-old Wally Funk became the oldest person to go to space on July 20, 2021.

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — Wally Funk, an aviation pioneer who was the oldest woman to launch into space, has died. She was 87.

Funk died Wednesday, July 8 at her apartment in an assisted living facility in Grapevine, Grapevine City Councilwoman Duff O'Dell said Thursday. O'Dell, who described herself as Funk's caregiver, said she was by Funk's side. Funk had fallen a couple of times recently and had an infection in her leg.

“It took its toll,” O'Dell said in a phone interview.

Wally Funk became a hometown hero in Grapevine. Facebook/Wally Funk's Space for Race

Funk was one of 13 female pilots who went through the same tests as NASA’s all-male astronaut corps in the early 1960s but never made it into space. In 2021, she got her chance aboard Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket. At the time, the 82-year-old was the oldest person to go into space, though the record was later broken by “Star Trek” actor William Shatner and Ed Dwight, America’s first Black astronaut candidate. They were both 90.

Bezos chose Funk as an “honored guest” to ride alongside him and two others on an up-and-down hop from West Texas aboard his Blue Origin rocket.

In interviews after the 11-minute flight, Funk enthusiastically told reporters, "I loved every minute of it. I just wish it had been longer.”

Wally Funk in her '20s as a flight instructor. Facebook/Wally Funk's Space for Race

She became a hometown hero when she returned home to Dallas-Fort Worth; the city of Grapevine threw a parade for her history-making experience.

“Wally Funk never stopped believing that one day she would reach space. Her passion for flight, perseverance, and love of exploration will continue to inspire generations of Americans. Godspeed, Wally,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted Thursday on X.

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This story contains material from CultureMap story archives.

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