More Than The Obituary Of My Father

The ultimate tribute to family engagement

My professional writing platform is clearly defined. I elaborate on my unique perspective as it relates to the topic of

family engagement in education

in all of my work. My mission to

Ignite Family Engagement In Education

is consistently reflected in all of my writing on Medium and the Teachers On Fire and Afro Scribe publications as well as in my published book called “Repair the Broken Pieces”. My writing includes my opinion about current school based topics that either promote or diminish the capacity of educators and parents to build authentic relationships as the team spirit is exemplified so that higher levels of mutual engagement results.

This current article is somewhat different yet the underlying theme remains uniquely the same. It honors my 86 year old father,

Tellie Vereen, Jr.,

a family man who remained

actively engaged in pursuing excellence through hard work; actively engaged remaining focused on his vision; actively engaged in persevering despite the obstacles that confronted him; actively engaged in supporting the needs of his family; and actively engaged in celebrating the success of his wife, children, and grandchildren.

He passed away on February 15, 2020. His legacy cannot be contained in an obituary that merely abbreviates the man that he was. Instead, the actual story of his life must be shared.

I dedicate this article to you daddy.

Early Reflections

My father, Tellie Vereen, Jr., was the son of the late Rev. Tellie Vereen, Sr. and Essie Mae Bryant Vereen. He was born on June 8, 1933 at McKeesport Hospital. My father and his parents resided in Duquesne, PA and the Arlington Heights section of Pittsburgh with his six siblings during his early years.

Proudly known for playing football during the inaugural game when South Stadium officially opened, Daddy attended South High School in the City of Pittsburgh. It was around that time that he met my mother, Jacqueline Coker, the love of his life. (At 14 years of age, she knew that they would marry in the future.) Reluctantly, my father dropped out of high school because he did felt like getting an education was hopeless. Reading was extremely difficult for him, so he refused to attend school regularly. This resulted in him being sent to reform school. Rather than being confronted with the continued embarrassment of his court ordered placement at that facility due to truancy, the next phase of his life was spent serving in the United States Armed Forces.

My father proudly served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1953 to 1956. He fulfilled most of his duty on the USS Battleship Missouri. (He actually purchased my mother’s engagement and wedding rings on the ship.) My father’s Military Occupational Specialty was Office Clerk and Ammunition Operator. A notable fact about his military experience was that he was an award winning boxer. Additionally, Daddy was afforded opportunities to see other parts of the world by traveling to countries like France, Portugal, and Cuba.

After serving in the military, my father went to the Pittsburgh Public Schools to discuss his graduation requirements. He immediately enrolled in a vocational training program for baking at South Vocational High School. On the same day of his visit to the school district, my father inquired about employment opportunities. When he reported to the maintenance department, he was instantly hired as a janitor’s helper. Thankful for the opportunity to work, he performed jobs that some would be offended by, especially today, like shoveling coal into the school furnace, cleaning dusty chalkboards, and disinfecting toilets.

Confronted with the harsh realities of racism after his vocational training ended, he was denied employment as a baker. My father, Tellie, was a resourceful man and baked delicious cookies, decorated lovely wedding as well as birthday cakes, and made very tasty glazed donuts and sold them to neighbors, friends, and family members. This enabled him to earn additional income to prepare for the next phase of his life.

My parents were married at the Central Baptist Church on March 9, 1957. The Reverend Talley officiated their lovely ceremony. (They often shared a funny memory that took place during their service. My father literally misplaced my mother’s wedding ring and had to borrow the ring of the pastor’s wife.) They began their life together living in a tiny house in the community of Beltzhoover behind the home of Laura Wilson, my maternal great-grandmother.

True Perseverance

Daddy slowly received promotions within the maintenance department as his family began to grow. During the days and evenings that he cleaned chalkboards and emptied trash cans within classrooms, he embraced the desire to do more with his life than to keep a school clean. He had a vision of becoming a teacher someday. His faith in his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ enabled him to embark on his educational journey.

My father spent 16 years attending night school at Schenley High along with attending Allegheny Community College and the University of Pittsburgh to obtain his high school diploma and Bachelor’s Degree. Despite his very busy schedule as a husband and father, working full-time, and being a college student, he was also an active member at Beulah Baptist Church. He served as Trustee, Deacon, Sunday School Teacher and Superintendent, and Usher.

The realization of his vision for his life became a reality when he was a building custodian one day and became a teacher with his own classroom the very next day.

The story of my father’s perseverance that resulted in achieving his educational goal as well as being the first college graduate in his family made international news. Numerous newspaper articles were written about him. He was also a featured guest on the syndicated Paul Harvey Radio Show. When news was released about his salary as a teacher being much lower than what he earned as a building custodian, public outcries resulted in the Pittsburgh Public Schools giving him a substantial raise.

Once Daddy secured his first teaching position at Morse Elementary School, he continued his education. He obtained his Master’s Degree and Reading Specialist Certificate from Duquesne University. My father was also a teacher at Bon Aire Elementary School. He spent over 25 years positively impacting the lives of elementary school students.

Despite his commitment to receiving a college education and inspiring children and youth, my father, Tellie, always worked hard to find ways to earn extra money to support his family and to make sure that their needs were met.

He also worked extremely hard to make their lives more enjoyable, too. Aside from serving as a Marine, Custodian, and Teacher, here are some of the jobs that my father performed over the years: busboy at Eat’n Park; painter; wall washer; cab and jitney driver; tutor; drug counselor; property owner; and landlord. In fact, early in his marriage, Daddy used to walk from small community of St. Clair Village where he resided with his young family to the South Side of Pittsburgh to clean the floor of Stutz Pharmacy to earn $5.00. Even though he had holes in his shoes, he put cardboard in them because he was determined to provide for his wife and daughters.

My father developed many interesting hobbies over the years. He enjoyed the serenity of fishing and he liked physical activities karate and walking. (Daddy was never a good dancer though!) My father loved to listen to jazz. The sounds of great musicians like Herbie Mann and John Coltrane filled our home when I grew up. He loved to build model airplanes, too, and took the time to paint intricate details on each one. Finally, he spent many happy years as an amateur photographer. Daddy took hundreds of pictures that were converted into slide images. Despite the advances in technology, he always pulled out his slide projector during family gatherings and projected precious family memories for all to reminisce. Boxes of pictures that captured his love of photography document this phase of his life.

As my father entered his final decade as a teacher, he developed an interest in becoming a locksmith.

He took several correspondence courses to learn his new trade, attended various regional training sessions, and collaborated with other locksmiths to enable him to perfect his skills. Daddy also purchased a lot of equipment that enabled him to help those who needed his assistance. Being a visionary, he opened the business that he hoped for.

“Vereen’s Lock and Key”,

a highly successful entrepreneurial venture for him, remained in operation for nearly 30 years.

Daddy was extremely proud of his family and encouraged of them to fulfill their purpose in life. He supported my mother as she traveled the region as a soloist and speaker at various Christian functions as well as during her leadership with the Women’s Aglow International Ministry. My father made sure that his wife had the best transportation possible for her travels. Because Daddy inspired my sisters and I to achieve educationally from our earliest beginnings, each one of us fulfilled his expectation to be college graduate. His four grandchildren filled him with gratification beyond measure. My father enjoyed talking to his first born grandson, Gabriel, frequently when he called to check on him as well as to find out how he was progressing on his job. He became excited when he found out how well Savion was developing as a collegiate basketball player. Daddy always enjoyed moments with Jackie when he picked her up from school and took her to gymnastics training for eight years. He was very proud to attend her competitions when he was able to. The final trip that he took was to attend a dance performance presented by the dance troop that Veronica is a part of. The show left him absolutely amazed.

Transitioning To His Eternal Destination

My father, Tellie, had several health struggles in recent years that he recovered from because he was such a strong man. Sadly, he passed away after a very brief illness that overtook his body. Surrounded by his loving family, Daddy made his peaceful transition to his eternal destination to be in the presence of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on February 15, 2020 at 5:00 pm. We celebrated the life that he he lived during his funeral service and he received military funeral honors at his grave.

Just a few weeks before his passing, my father told his niece Tracey how tired he was. Even though she urged him to rest at home, he said,

“no, I am tired”.

Little did we know that he was ready to meet the Lord face to face.

My father was preceded in death by his parents, brother Vernon Vereen, Sr. and sisters Ora Mae Ferris and Hazel Lee Bynum. He is survived by his wife Jacqueline of nearly 63 years; daughters Cynthia Lynette Anderson (Kevin), me, and Brenda Louise Blunt (Ronnie); and grandchildren Gabriel, Savion, Jacqueline Tellia, and Veronica Joy. They are determined to carry on his legacy. Daddy also leaves behind many relatives to mourn his passing. This includes: his sisters Queen Esther Martin and Mary Brown; his brother Myron Vereen; and a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins.

His Favorite Scriptures

Reflecting on Psalm 23 and I Corinthian 15:58 will bring peace to those who love him and will miss him.

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

I Corinthians 15:58

“Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.”

We love you Daddy and will always be proud of you. Thank you for all that you did for each of us through the years. We will carry on your legacy until we meet again.

Here’s my golden ticket that helps me accomplish my mission.

Dr. Deborah M. Vereen is a retired Teacher and School Administrator. Her website is www.Drdeborahmvereen.com and her YouTube Channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS1DPhBeA29UlybU9jzDkdQ .