After a friend had offered Elvis a book of poetry entitled "Poems That Touch The Heart", he carefully scanned through the pages until he stumbled upon the following beautiful poem written by Albert K. Rowswell. He began to read it aloud, so as if his Momma could hear it:

Should You Go First

Should you go first and I remain
To walk the road alone,
I'll live in memory's garden, dear,
With happy days we've known.

In spring I'll wait for roses red,
When fades the Lilac blue;
In early fall when brown leaves call,
I'll catch a glimpse of you.

Gladys Love Smith Marries Vernon Presley

Vernon's mother, Minnie Mae Hood, did not approve of her seventeen-year-old son's marriage to Gladys who was four years older, so the two eloped to Verona and were married in the town hall there on June 17, 1933. Three people attended as witnesses: Gladys'cousins, Maude and Allen Helms, and Gladys' sister, Retha Smith. Verona Town Hall, Mississippi

Back in a time when the south was still recovering from the ravages of war, many southerners lived in poverty and endured however they could manage to prevail. It was not uncommon for folks to walk miles to work and Gladys Presley was no different. Every day she would walk two miles to work and then home again. A hard working, Christian lady, Elvis' Momma, like most southern women of the time, did not have it easy. Circumstances of her life caused her extreme anxiety and depression with the only comfort and solace at the end of the day being "her boy." While she tried to make the most of their lives with what little they had, Gladys was very protective of her son and as devoted to Elvis as he was to her. When Elvis was officially inducted in the the U.S. Army, Gladys, already ill and suffering, sunk into deeper depression and despair convincing herself that she might never see her beloved son again.

John Helms, a Tennessee artist, knew Elvis' and his mom and dad from when his (Helms) father owned a store not far from Graceland. He remembered Gladys as a sweet, Christian woman. Helms was also very good friends with Billy Mann, his hair stylist, and a cousin of Elvis through Gladys' older sister, Lillian. Mann passed away in a truck accident some time after he had taken the last photo of Elvis (in his coffin), regardless of the family's request for privacy, and had sold the photo to the National Enquirer for $10,000. Elvis, Gladys and Vernon had many relatives, unfortunately, quite a few were willing to turn for a profit, some living off of Elvis until the end.

Gladys funeral, August 1958