Most people plan their funerals with a few basic requests—flowers, music, maybe where to scatter the ashes. Billy Standley had something more ambitious in mind: he wanted to ride into eternity exactly as he'd lived, throttle in hand.

On January 31, 2014, the 82-year-old from Mechanicsburg, Ohio, got his wish. He was buried seated upright on his prized 1967 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide, dressed in full black leathers, white helmet, and sunglasses, inside a massive custom-built Plexiglas casket. His gloved hands gripped the handlebars. Hundreds of mourners—many of them fellow bikers—gathered for an outdoor funeral so everyone could pay their respects.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Standley started planning this unique send-off 18 years earlier, when he first approached the funeral home with his unconventional idea. He even bought three extra burial plots next to his late wife Lorna to accommodate the oversized casket.

Building a Coffin for a Harley

When the time came, Standley's sons Pete and Roy took on the engineering challenge. They constructed the transparent casket from sheets of Plexiglas, reinforcing the bottom with wood and steel rods to support the combined weight of their father and his 700-pound motorcycle.

The result was part memorial, part engineering marvel—a crystal-clear tribute that let mourners see Billy exactly as he wanted to be remembered.

A Life on Two Wheels

For Standley, motorcycles weren't just a hobby—they were his ticket to freedom. The retired truck driver and former rodeo rider had traveled to every U.S. state except Hawaii, with many of those journeys made on his beloved Harley. His custom-painted Electra Glide had carried him across deserts, mountains, and highways from coast to coast.

When lung cancer took his life on January 26, 2014, his family knew there was only one way to honor him.

Not Your Average Funeral

The outdoor ceremony drew a crowd of about 200 people, creating a scene that perfectly captured Standley's spirit:

Dozens of motorcycles lined up in tribute
Fellow riders in leather vests paying final respects
A see-through casket allowing everyone a clear view of Billy on his bike
An unconventional burial that celebrated individuality over tradition

The message was clear: some bonds are too strong for death to break.

Riding into Legend

Standley's funeral made international headlines, inspiring countless bikers and non-bikers alike. It's since become one of the most famous examples of personalized funerals, proving that your final goodbye can be as unique as the life you lived.

For Billy Standley, the highway didn't end at the grave. It just continued in a different direction—with his Harley along for the ride, naturally.

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