Vernon Winfrey was born in 1933 and served on the Metro Nashville Council for 16 years. He was also a well-known barber in his community, having run a barbershop in East Nashville for over 50 years. Vernita Lee, Oprah Winfrey's mother, died in 2018 at the age of 83. Lee Winfrey and Vernon Winfrey never married. Vernon Winfrey, Oprah Winfrey’s Father, Dies at the Age of 89.