MAURY CITY, Tenn. (BNC) by Jerrie Barber — And that was the truth as announced last night at 6:45 p.m. to about 175 friends and family of Elvis Scarbrough East. They had met to surprise her on her 90th birthday. She was born Oct. 28, 1924, more than ten years before Elvis Presley.

She is a happy Christian sister, arriving early at the Maury City congregation each Sunday. She still drives, wanting to get there early “to miss the traffic” in this town of 677 people. She also drives to the nursing home and to visit family and friends.

Elvis and Henry East were married 62 years before he died in 2004. They have seven children, fifteen grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, and eight great-great-grandchildren.

L.B. Brown baptized Elvis when he came to preach at Maury City. She would get the children ready and they all rode to services on the bus driven by Hal Redmond and Alvin Poston.

It was a happy occasion Oct. 28, at the Crockett Mills Community Center. The tables were decorated with stars, guitars, and 45-rpm records.

Kyle East, a grandson of Elvis, cooked delicious barbecue for the celebrants. Chuck Baril, an Elvis impersonator, from Gallatin, Tenn., entertained the group and continually honored the original Elvis.

Some of Elvis’s frequent sayings are, “I was Elvis before Elvis” and “Elvis is in the house.”

I look forward to seeing Elvis at all church services. She has been an encouragement to me since I came to serve as an interim at Maury City a year ago.

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