A Denholme father-of-three who loved motorbikes was given one last ride as scores of bikers accompanied his hearse to Nab Wood Crematorium on Friday.
Mark Bennett died tragically on September 1, two months after a fall off his Triumph Thunderbird as he was riding out of the cul-de-sac where he lived.
He was just yards from his home and riding at slow speeds when he lost his balance and the bike fell on his leg, breaking it in three places.
He underwent operations on his injured limb at Leeds General Infirmary, and it was placed in an external fixation. The 43-year-old had been released from hospital for several weeks when he was found dead in his armchair by his wife, Wai-Ling, a nurse at Airedale Hospital.
He is thought to have died from a pulmonary embolism, although the cause of death will be formally decided by an inquest, the date of which has yet to be set.
Mr Bennett was an electrician and joiner who taught at Leeds City College’s Keighley Campus, and was a member of Hebden Bridge-based Bridge Rat Bikers.
After his death, his club vowed to give him a funeral befitting such a respected member of the biker community.
Club chairman Andy Nicholson said: “He was a big bike fan and a damn good friend. He loved the club and the family element of the club. It is a very close-knit community. I think he’ll carry on riding – he’ll be riding forever.”
Friday’s funeral saw Mr Bennett’s hearse flanked by six bikers, with scores of others riding behind in a procession from his home at Netherwood in Denholme to Nab Wood.
He leaves his wife of 15 years, 12-year-old son Alex, daughter Hannah, eight, and four-year-old son Ethan.
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