MECHANICSBURG, Ohio - What began as a joke became a man's final wish.And Friday, it led to a funeral like no other.
Bill Standley was no ordinary man.
"He was what you would call a twist of color on the tweed surface of life," said friend Doug Burns
He left home at 13 to work cattle ranches out west, eventually traveling to 49 of the 50 states. He settled down long enough to raise a family, but never lost his passion for the road.
His daughter says that's why his 1967 Harley meant so much to him.
"Freedom,” said Dorothy Brown. “He could go anywhere on that bike he wanted to. My dad was a man who had the wanderlust.”
It was 18 years ago, while joking about who would inherit his prized possession, that inspiration struck.
"He said ‘What am I supposed to do? I've got two sons, only got one bike,’” said Dorothy. “My sister just off-handedly said, ‘Oh Dad just be buried with it.’ I think it was about two weeks after that that it really hit him- what a great idea. And we were all just like ‘Dad!’ and he goes, ‘no, that's how I'm going out!’ We all still thought he was kidding. 18 years later, guess what?"
Work to make Bill's final wish a reality began six years ago.
