Funeral services Thursday for Vernon Winfrey, former city councilmember, barber shop owner

Ludye Wallace never forgot the way the biscuits tasted at Vernon Winfrey's mother's house in the late 1970s.

"If we had the recipe for those biscuits, we would be millionaires," Wallace said.

Wallace also remembers driving with Winfrey to political conventions when they served together on the Metro Council. They took Winfrey's gray Buick on a trip to New Orleans. That's when they stopped in Winfrey's hometown of Kosciusko, Mississippi, and ate the best biscuits of Wallace's life.

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The two stayed close throughout the years. Winfrey cut Wallace's hair at his East Nashville barber shop.

Now, Wallace is thinking of his friend's gentle kindness.

Vernon Winfrey died Friday, July 8 in Nashville after an illness, his daughter, Oprah Winfrey, confirmed last weekend in a social media post. He was 89.

Funeral services will be held Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Temple Church.

Hundreds are expected to attend the services. After all, Winfrey's doors were always open to friends and loved ones, Wallace remembered. Winfrey and his wife, Zelma, counseled Wallace throughout his political career, debriefing each televised council meeting together in Winfrey's Nashville home.

"Back in the day… I guess I would say I was more militant," said Wallace, a longtime local politician. "I needed advice. I needed counseling. They guided me and helped me become more tactful and more polished in the political arena."

Always calm and cool, Winfrey taught Wallace how to be successful in local government. He was deeply passionate about his community.

The longtime barber shop owner helped to preserve the Cleveland Park neighborhood of East Nashville. He served on Metro council from 1975-1991. He also served as a charter member of Faith United Missionary Baptist Church and a deacon for 45 years.

Days before Winfrey's death, Oprah Winfrey hosted a "celebration of life" for her father. The one-time Nashville resident and talk show host turned media mogul said she wanted to give her father "his flowers" while he was still here.

A 'life-changing' celebration

When DJ Keenan Daniels learned he would perform at a party hosted by Oprah Winfrey, he felt honored. And shocked.

"My phone dropped, my jaw dropped," Daniels said.

What he didn't know was how much this celebration would change his outlook on life.

"It’s made me realize that you have to take advantage of every moment you have with your family," Daniels said.

Daniels, known by his stage name The MillionDollaMan, observed an outpouring of love from friends and family gathered in Winfrey's honor. He focused on playing music that would keep the celebration going. "September" by Earth, Wind and Fire, "Before I Let Go" by Beverly and Maze and "Having a Party" by Luther Vandross were all favorites.

He felt inspired by the community Winfrey built throughout his life, and the legacy he was leaving behind.

"It was great to see an African American man build a family who gathered around him," Daniels said.

"When I leave this Earth, I want what Mr. Winfrey had."

Reach reporter Molly Davis at mdavis2@gannett.com or on Twitter @mollym_davis.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vernon Winfrey, Nashville leader and Oprah's father, remembered