Barbara Walters Wished to Be Remembered as “Good and Loving Mother” by Daughter | “I Wish I Had Spent More Time”

Barbara Walters is celebrated worldwide as one of her kind journalists. However, she once revealed, she hoped one of the lasting legacies she'd leave behind after her death would be that of "a mother." In her 2014 ABC retirement special Barbara Walters: Her Story, Walters reflected on motherhood and how she wanted to be remembered by her daughter Jacqueline Dena Guber.

"Oh, this is the toughest question," she admitted. "I want to be remembered by my daughter as a good and loving mother," she added. Walter had adopted Jacqueline, 54, as a newborn in 1968 with her second husband, theater producer Lee Guber, who was married to her from 1963 to 1967, per PEOPLE. Walters said, "I very much wanted to have a child," and added "I had three miscarriages, and finally, my husband Lee Guber and I adopted a baby girl. I knew that my sister was never going to be married and have a child, and I wanted her to have part of the joy that I had. And so, I named my daughter Jacqueline after my sister." Walters explained that her older sister Jacqueline, who had died of ovarian cancer in 1985, was "developmentally challenged." 

Walters spoke of her daughter in 2014's Her Story and added, "Jackie has found it difficult all her life because she wants to be anonymous, she just doesn't like to be a celebrity. She may be the only one in the world who doesn't like to be a celebrity."

Walters also spoke about the challenges of balancing her professional and personal life. "I think everybody who works, not just someone who's in television, not just a celebrity, faces a balancing act... There's no answer, you do your best," she said. "I look back and I think, 'I wish I had been with her more.' I was so busy with the career," Walters added. "It's the age-old problem; on your deathbed, are you going to say, 'I wish I spent more time in the office'? No, you'll say, 'I wish I spent more time with my family.' And I do feel that way, I wish I had spent more time with my Jackie."

Walters said further, "I want to be remembered by my friends as somebody loyal; I want to be remembered in television, maybe as a creator, maybe as a good newswoman." She finally added, "No, more than being remembered, I hope that by younger women, I can help them aspire." Today, she is remembered by many famous personalities who followed her professional path. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey gave the ultimate tribute to Walters, as she wrote in an Instagram post, "Without Barbara Walters, there wouldn't have been me — nor any other woman you see on the evening, morning, and daily news. She was indeed a Trailblazer. I did my very first television audition with her in mind the whole time."

Star Jones, one of The View's first-ever co-hosts, tweeted, "I owe Barbara Walters more than I could ever repay. Rest well sister…mother…friend…colleague…mentor."  Walters will surely be remembered as a loving mother by her daughter and as a pioneering journalist by the world. 

References:

https://people.com/tv/barbara-walters-motherhood-journey-in-her-own-words/

https://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/barbara-walters-celebrating-true-original-23662452

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm0SPquuJ7-/

Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Frazer Harrison