‘Space Shot Shirley,’ Iowa woman obsessed with amusement park ride, dead at 84

A longtime Iowa resident who loved an amusement park ride so much that she once rode it more than 180 times in one day, has died.

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Shirley Beeghly, nicknamed “Space Shot Shirley” because of her obsession with Adventureland’s Space Shot ride, died May 31 at Unitypoint Health Marshalltown, KCCI-TV reported. She was 84.

According to her obituary , in 2011, Beeghly, who had moved to Linn Valley, Kansas, before her death, “fell in love” with the Space Shot ride at Adventureland Park in Altoona, Iowa. She reportedly rode it 182 times in one day in 2013.

“For as old as she looks, she looks like she’s pretty tough,” one park patron said in a 2014 report by KCCI that was posted to YouTube , when Beeghly was 74.

“I love that Space Shot ride,” she said at the time, waiting for the ride to rise 235 feet into the air. “I like to stay on it and get as many times as I can on it. I feel as young as springtime.”

Molly Vincent, who was a spokesperson for Adventureland Park in 2014, said she was glad to see Beeghly enjoy the ride -- over and over again.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone who has loved a single ride quite as much as Shirley loves the Space Shot,” Vincent told KCCI .

Beeghly never married or had children, but she was known as a gregarious person who “never knew a stranger,” according to her obituary .

“Shirley was an amazingly dedicated and energetic woman. She cleaned motor coaches for Marshall Motor Coach, took care of the laundry at Bizio’s Thunderbird and did housecleaning and ironing,” her obituary read . Family dinners ended with Shirley cleaning up everything so her family could enjoy each other’s company. Countless miles were spent walking where she met so many people.”