Effie's Elvis
Leonard Bernstein once proclaimed Elvis Presley to be the greatest cultural force of the twentieth century. Effie Daffin, a life long Panama City, Florida, resident and avid Elvis admirer, couldn’t agree more. In fact, Effie claims that Elvis had the “sweetest voice heaven ever made.”
This tiny woman with silver hair and a sharp wit has loved Elvis since he burst onto the music scene in the 1950s. Although Effie is now in her nineties, bedridden, and under Covenant Hospice’s care, her dream of seeing Elvis perform finally came true.
Arrangements were made for Gulf World entertainer and Elvis impersonator Todd Allen Herendeen to serenade Effie at her bedside. When Herendeen appeared at her house in full Elvis costume and crooned “Love Me Tender,” her soulful blue eyes lit up like a giddy teenager’s. “Oh, thank you, Jesus,” she exclaimed. “I love you,” she said, grasping Elvis’s hand. Four generations of family members were there with Effie as Elvis sang to her.
You can read more about Effie's Elvis in the Faces of Life book.
