I think, in part, we mythologize sacrifice, ennoble it with layer upon layer of redemptive they-did-not-suffer-and-die-in-vain meaning, because it enables us to bear the pain of loss.
The first casualty in pursuit of the record was perhaps the ironically named Englishman Sir Henry Seagrave, who in 1930 set the world record at 99 mph (159 kph).
Stories of that tragedy overshadowed Quimby's feat, and just ten weeks later, she died during a flying demonstration in Massachusetts, joining the many casualties of the early days of flight.