Col. Parker's behavior during Elvis' wake/funeral...odd?

[howardrobardhughes]

While the Colonel had business on his mind the day of
the funeral, several of the mourners gathered in Graceland's
music, dining, and living rooms for the 2:00 P.M. service
on August 18 [1977] found his behavior more peculiar than
ever, beginning with his dress: a Hawaiian shirt and a
baseball cap, from which protruded unruly tufts of
gray-brown hair."If Elvis looks down and he sees the
Colonel all dressed up, he's gonna say, 'What the hell
is that?'" Parker explained later. "This is the way I
always dress. Informal. No point putting on airs now."
When he saw Tom Hulett dressed appropriately in a tie and
black suit, the Colonel told him to go change into his
usual jeans and loafers.But what galled everyone was that
Parker refused to be a pallbearer, and, as Jackie Kahane
remembers, "every time he would go past the coffin, he
would avert his eyes." Larry Geller also found it strange.
He remembers the Colonel being stoic."

He didn't talk to many people, and he was way in the back.
He certainly wasn't sitting in the front room, and he
could have been right down there with Grandma [Minnie
Mae Presley] and Vernon if he'd wanted." Afterward,
Geller expected Parker to have a private moment at the
casket before the lid came down for the last time and
a white hearse trailed by seventeen white limousines
carried the body to Forest Hill Cemetery. "But it never
happened. He wouldn't walk up. He didn't even look. You
could almost see him struggling not to look."...Years
later, Parker boasted that he never once wept at the
funeral. "No, sir. If anybody had seen my eyes mist up
for a second they must have had their hands in my
pockets."
TCB
Wade

[Lonniebealestreet]

Atypical, but not for Tom Parker. It was business as usual.

The behavior though, aside from the dress, could have simply been that he had an issue with death, or that it reminded him of his own mortality, and what fate may have awaited him in the hereafter. Just speculating though.

Or perhaps it was a matter of making a conscious effort to not get emotional or appear affected in any way.

So it could have been a reflection of his being cold-hearted as most would suspect, but the opposite may be possible as well.

[0349054]

I agree it was weird behaviour. I was however, glad to hear that at the Hilton in August 78' the Colonel looked at a picture of Elvis that a fan handed him and said, " I miss him, I guess I loved him."

[ComeBackChick]

The guy was a mental genius.... Most of the times I think he's just evil.... And I am absolutely not proud that he was native Dutch.....

To be so good in business, you have to lack all feelings, emotions and integrity? It was him who called Elvis "his merchandise".....

[0349054]

And least we forget he threatened to open up his house as a museum to rival Graceland unless Graceland bought him out for an exorbanate sum.

[quinn53]

I don't know but he may have been thinking of his next business move

[Jungleroom76]

My guess would be that he couldn't be bothered to be emotional....he was too busy trying to figure out how to capatalize on Elvis' tragic death!!!

TCB!
Mike