I remember these songs from a TV drama (Hallmark Presents?) called, IIRC, "Foxfire". Starring John Denver, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy. Denver played the prodigal son who was a big country recording star returning to his Appalachian home to persuade his widow mother (Tandy) to move into town after his father (Cronyn) passes on. The dead husband is haunting her, or perhaps it's just hanging on to his memory.