Oprah’s father, Vernon Winfrey, passed away last Saturday after a battle with cancer at the age of 88. Before his death, the media mogul paid tribute to the man who pushed her to elevate her career into the person she is known for today.
RELATED STORIES: Oprah Winfrey’s Father Vernon Winfrey Passes Away at 88
Oprah went to live with her father at age six after briefly living with her mother and sister.
Oprah was briefly raised by her mother, Vernita Lee, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who experienced the struggle of raising two children alone as a single parent. Winfrey was sent to live with her father in Nashville, Tennesee, in 1962, and she wouldn’t live with her mother again until her teenage years. However, she was quite rebellious and started stealing money to keep up with her wealthier friends at Nicolet High School. Oprah’s mother sent the teen to live with Vernon again for good.
“I started acting out my need for attention, my need to be loved, My mother didn’t have the time. She worked every day as a maid. … I was smart and my mother, because she didn’t have the time for me, I think, tried to stifle it.”
When my father took me, it changed the course of my life…He saved me. He simply knew what he wanted and expected. He would take nothing less.”
Described as a “strict” parent, Vernon ensured that his daughter took education seriously, and Oprah became an honors student. She also worked part-time at a grocery store and won the Miss Black Tennessee beauty pageant at 17. His wife, Zelma, took over a maternal figure in Oprah’s adolescence and helped around the household.
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After winning the pageant, Oprah was also hired to work at WVOL as a part-time worker. She later earned a scholarship to Tennessee State University, a historically black college, and studied journalism.
Vernon Winfrey had a successful business as a barbershop owner.
He was an Army veteran and worked a series of odd jobs before opening his barbershop in 1964 and remained at the job for fifty years. Later, he became a member of the National Barber Museum and was inducted into their Hall of Fame.
Before his passing, Oprah paid tribute to her father on Independence Day while he was battling cancer.
“Giving my father his flowers while he’s well enough to smell them. Happy 4th of July as you gather with your family and friends. Remember to celebrate each other.”
#Oprah‘s dad is currently battling cancer. While she’s by his side, she threw him a celebration to give him “his flowers” while he’s still well enough to fully take in the praise of the people he’s touched. See the beautiful celebration here. https://t.co/dDl2w3vzYg
— Oprah Daily (@OprahDaily) July 6, 2022
Oprah’s mother passed away at 83 in 2018, and she still has fond memories of Vernita.