Ohio man buried riding his 1967 Harley-Davidson motorcycle in extra-large grave
By Nina Golgowski
Billy Standley, 82, is seen being towed to an Ohio cemetery while seated on his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle he had planned for years to be entombed with. (10tv.com)
Billy Standley always told friends and family he'd be buried riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
Now thanks to his adoring family, his dying wish has been fulfilled.
The Ohio motorhead was spectacularly laid to rest in a Mechanicsburg cemetery on Friday while seated on the back of his 1967 Electra Glide cruiser thanks to the handiwork of five embalmers and a metal back brace and straps.
Standley is seen propped up on the back of his 1967 Electra Glide cruiser while surrounded by some of his trophies. (10tv.com)
As his family told the Dayton Daily News it was a project that's been in the works for the last several years he's been alive.
"If you stopped by his house, he showed you his casket," his son Roy Standley told the paper. "He was proud of it."
Standley's children said he talked about being buried with his bike for years. The elaborate casket to hold him and his bike, pictured with him here, started taking shape about five years ago, they said. (10tv.com)
The casket consisted of a 9-by-11 cement septic tank, Plexiglas and wood and steel rods to reinforce the bottom. Because of its large size, it also required the purchase of three burial plots, which were next to his wife, Lorna.
"He was a quirky man," his daughter Dorothy Brown told the paper. "But when it comes to us kids, he loved us, he raised us well and, of course, we wanted to help him."
Because of the size of the plot needed to fit Standley's customized casket, his family had to buy three plots, which are next to where his wife is buried. (10tv.com)
When the 82-year-old succumbed to lung cancer on Sunday, his final ride kicked into gear.
In a public procession Standley's body, bike, and Plexiglas casket was towed from the funeral home to the Fairview Cemetery with motorcyclists from all across the country turning out to join in his monumental ride, as 10TV reported.
Standley's dying wish to be buried with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle was fulfilled by his adoring family. (Marshall Gorby/The News-Sun/AP)
"He'd done right by us all these years, and at least we could see he goes out the way he wanted to," his son Pete Standley told the Dayton Daily News.
ngolgowski@nydailynews.com