Obituary: John Warhola / Brother who was told, 'Your role is to take care of Andy'
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John Warhola, brother of Andy Warhol, at portrait of their mother in the Warhol seum.
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Before he died from drinking bad water at one of the construction sites where he worked, Andrij Warhola called his son John into the room for a talk about the family's future.
At 17, with his kid brother and mom to care for and another away in the military -- World War II was raging -- John Warhola received a special order. His dad had stored away enough savings bonds to put the youngest boy through the first two years of college. The rest was up to John.
"My grandfather told my father, 'Your role is to take care of Andy and make sure he goes to school, because he's going to be successful someday,' " said Mr. Warhola's son, Donald.
In the years after, John Warhola sold parts for washers, dryers and stoves at a Sears store. When television arrived, he climbed roofs and installed the antennas. He cared for his mom and younger brother and sent Andy to Carnegie Tech and then on to New York City where he shortened the family name and became Andy Warhol.
Art legends must be born, but sometimes it takes an older brother to keep them from starving.
On one occasion, John Warhola took the Greyhound bus to visit his brother as he started out. He noticed cardboard plugging the holes in Andy's shoes. He left his own behind for his kid brother. Another time, after their mom, Julia, moved in with Andy in Manhattan, John visited to make sure they had turkey on Thanksgiving.
John Warhola, of Freedom, Beaver County, died at Allegheny General Hospital of pneumonia on Christmas Eve. He was 85.
Andy Warhol was often depicted as aloof, inscrutable -- a man running as fast as he could from his blue-collar, Pittsburgh roots. That was a myth, said Donald Warhola, and he knew because he was at home every Sunday when John and Andy talked.
The icon of pop art wanted weekly details about family and all things Pittsburgh.
"There's only one Andy Warhol. I know my father would not want that credit of being responsible or creating, but he played a pivotal role in helping Andy become what he wanted to become. He did that out of the love of his heart," said Donald Warhola.
First Published December 25, 2010 12:00 am
