Ohio man’s dying wish — to be buried riding his 1967 Harley-Davidson — fulfilled with extra-large casket
(Here he is on his bike. Article shows him in his clear casket.)
A motorcycle enthusiast’s family has fulfilled his dying wish — to be buried astride his beloved Harley-Davidson encased in a see-through casket.
But it hasn’t been easy. The project required an extra-large cemetery plot to accommodate a Plexiglas casket for Billy Standley and his hulking custom-painted 1967 Electra Glide cruiser. Five embalmers worked to prepare his body with a metal back brace and straps to ensure he’ll never lose his seat.
Standley’s family said he’d been talking about it for years and liked to take people to the garage to show off the unusual casket his two sons had built for him. He told people he didn’t just want to ride off to heaven, he wanted the world to see him do it in the big see-through box.
“He was a quirky man,” daughter Dorothy Brown said. “But when it comes to us kids, he loved us, he raised us well and, of course, we wanted to help him.”
The Dayton Daily News reported that Standley died of lung cancer Sunday at age 82. He buried Friday.
A newspaper photo of the prepared casket shows Standley with his eyes closed astride the big bike. He’s dressed in black leathers, a white helmet and glasses, his gloved hands grasping the handlebars.
Standley told his family his motorcycle helped him retain his sense of adventure after he settled down to raise four children, which was quite a compromise for the man who made his start at 13 as ranch hand and rodeo rider.
He started the project himself, buying three extra burial plots next to his wife, Lorna. His sons, Pete and Roy, fashioned the casket out of Plexiglas, reinforcing the bottom with wood and steel rods to handle the extra weight.
Enlisting the help of Vernon Funeral Homes, Standley ensured his funeral would be held outside, so all his biker friends could watch his final ride.
His family agreed the processional to the cemetery might be a little bizarre, even shocking.
“He’d done right by us all these years, and at least we could see he goes out the way he wanted to,” Pete Standley said.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/01/31 ... ge-casket/
Great Moments in American Funerals
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- Ancient Mariner
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Re: Great Moments in American Funerals
That's what he wanted, that's what he got. Good on him.
I have my own plans, all in writing and certified.
Per
I have my own plans, all in writing and certified.
Per
- Not_Karl
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Re: Great Moments in American Funerals
To be buried in a giant Akkevitt bottle?That's what he wanted, that's what he got. Good on him.
I have my own plans, all in writing and certified.
Per
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- Ancient Mariner
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Re: Great Moments in American Funerals
That's not burial, that's pickling. Have planned something slightly more subtle.To be buried in a giant Akkevitt bottle?That's what he wanted, that's what he got. Good on him.
I have my own plans, all in writing and certified.
Per
Per
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Re: Great Moments in American Funerals
I've always liked the idea of having one's ashes sprinkled in a local vineyard......That's not burial, that's pickling. Have planned something slightly more subtle.To be buried in a giant Akkevitt bottle?That's what he wanted, that's what he got. Good on him.
I have my own plans, all in writing and certified.
Per
Per
Friends can drink to your memory as your molecules get recycled.
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- Ancient Mariner
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Re: Great Moments in American Funerals
"Rivera had a 5-15 record in the 130-pound weight class."
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