Lucille O’Neal (mother) As the mother of one of the greatest athletes of all time, Lucille is indeed a proud mother. Lucille also lost her father during this trying time. She raised him on her own until he was 6, which is when she met her husband, Sergeant Phillip A. Harrison. "Lucille O’Neal’s presentation was heart-warming. But Lucille was a determined girl, a fighter, and she is so much more than just the mother of Shaquille O'Neal. It was tough to watch Ayesha suffer through the radiation treatments, weight loss, hair loss, etc. She later obtained her Master degree and fulfilled a childhood dream. She soon met and married Philip Harrison, a military man whose assignments took their growing family around the world. He showed the younger ones the work ethic, what it meant to work hard for something. Lucille shares her life story candidly – and often humorously in her book “Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go” as well as in her keynotes. "But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. Lucille says she is so grateful to God for where He has her, but like all families, they have to deal with the challenges of life too. He was also offered a scholarship to play college basketball at Seton Hall. She was born into a Christian home and was raised by her mother and grandmother with a strong spiritual foundation. A SENSE OF FAMILY Dealing with Ayesha’s cancer was especially unsettling because Lucille’s mother Odessa died of ovarian cancer in 1996. Shaquille O’Neal has a daughter from a previous relationship with Arnetta Yardbourgh’s ex-girlfriend, Taahirah O’Neal. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.". The love and nurturing that Lucille so desperately lacked from her grandparents she found with her mother again a few years later. She often speaks of the spiritual foundation and lessons taught by her mother and grandmother as the source of her courage and inspiration for parenting. So, in 1999, Lucille decided to go to college at Bethune-Cookman University. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.". Lucille O'Neal, mother of Shaquille O'Neal, gives the keynote address at a luncheon for the East Texas Cornerstone Assistance Network on Wednesday Feb. 28, 2018 at Green Acres Baptist … Lucille O'Neill Obituary - Honesdale, PA | Scranton Times. © 2021 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. The boy did not want to be a father so eventually their relationship ended. He attended Louisiana State and graduated from the University of Phoenix. The Lucille sought to get a job in order to get off public assistance. EYES WIDE OPEN Shaquille began to attract media attention when their family was stationed overseas, and it only intensified when they returned to the states. In the summer of 2010, O’Neal married reality TV star Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander, and the couple stayed at O’Neal’s home in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and later divorced in 2012. Technically, Ayesha was Shaq’s half-sister because she’s the daughter of Lucille and Harrison. CBN.com – When people see NBA All-Star Shaquille O’Neal on the courts, no one is prouder of him than his mother, Lucille. She soon met and married Philip Harrison, a military man whose assignments took their growing family around the world. Her grandparents' harsh style of parenting left Lucille always trying to stay in their good graces at all costs, which meant never letting her clothes get dirty at school or having a hair out of place. She encourages other young women not to look for the easy way out of situations, but to depend on God. “A great speller.”. 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