Rosemary Mariner, first woman to fly tactical fighter jet for Navy, dead at 65

Rosemary Mariner died at age 65. (U.S. Navy)

Rosemary Mariner, a pioneer in Naval aviation and the first woman to fly a tactical jet, died last week after a long battle with ovarian cancer. She was 65.

Mariner served in the U.S. Navy from 1973 to 1997. The daughter of an Air Force pilot and a Navy nurse, she graduated from Purdue University with a degree in aeronautics. She joined the Navy and completed her flight training in 1974. After that, she made history by becoming the first woman to fly a tactical jet.

REMAINS OF NAVY SAILOR FROM SAN DIEGO, KILLED AT PEARL HARBOR, HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED, PENTAGON SAYS

Mariner also was the first woman “to command a naval aviation squadron,” USNI News reported. She was also one of the first women to “serve aboard a U.S. Navy Warship,” NBC News reported.

She died on Thursday, Jan. 24, after a lengthy battle with ovarian cancer. The Navy is set to honor her with an all-female flyover at her funeral, a first. The tribute is referred to as “a Missing Man Flyover.”

STRANGERS WHO ATTENDED AIR FORCE VETERAN’S FUNERAL ‘CAME TOGETHER AS AMERICANS,’ SAYS ORGANIZER

Her funeral is slated to be held Saturday, Feb. 2 in Maynardville, Tenn.