Mariner graduated from Purdue University with a degree in aeronautics. She was 19 years old.
The A-7 Corsair was an attack aircraft designed to launch and land on aircraft carriers, which entered service during the Vietnam War.
To honor her legacy, the US Navy announced it will conduct a Missing Man flyover during her funeral.
According to the US Naval Institute, "the maneuver features four aircraft flying above the funeral service in formation as one of the aircraft leaves the formation and climbs vertically into the heavens."
Mariner died after a 5-year battle with ovarian cancer, according to her obituary. She was 65, and is survived by her husband and "wingman" retired Cmdr. Tommy Mariner, and daughter Emmalee, who attends Duke University.
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