Vegas Elvis at the Funeral

My great-grandmother passed away last week. She was just shy of her 93rd birthday. There was joy in her passing, in that she was ready and anxious to go home, but there is of course mourning as well.

Michelle and I drove into Panama City last Monday afternoon to attend the funeral, we made it just in time, and sat with my parents on the second row. I hate to use the phrase, but it was almost a "typical" funeral, reflecting on the wisdom and kindness of a saint who has lived a full life. Until we got to the third song, then it became...in a word..."AWESOME".

Let me back-track...the pastor who was speaking (officiating?...what do you call it?) at the funeral was good, if not a bit boring. He read the normal Bible quotes, used the normal anecdotes, and we listened to three songs interspersed through his message. The first two were pretty fitting for a funeral. Both were country songs (Michelle can tell you what they were) that spoke about homecoming, etc... The third....was VEGAS ELVIS.



Yep, you heard me. She loved Elvis, so someone made the decision to include a song she would have enjoyed. The best part was the song choice...live Elvis from the Vegas years. For the first minute and a half, it was a pretty satisfying rendition of "How Great Thou Art", then the King kicked it up about six notches.


Here's the link, give it a listen. Close your eyes and imagine yourself in a stuffy little funeral home surrounded by solemn relatives...then wait until the 1:50 mark and hold on tight. It was all I could do not to giggle...I had to bite my lip to suppress the laughter.


The first thing Michelle and I talked about when we were out of earshot was that song and how great it was (wert?). We both thought it hilarious...my Mom did, too. The best bit? I bet my Great-Grandmother would have loved it, too.