Arenzo Cowan

Arenzo Cowan, 28, passed away unexpectedly of natural causes on July 18, 2024. He was born on February 9, 1996, the son of Anita Stradford and Arthur Cowan, Jr.

Arenzo was raised by his mother, Anita and Rashid “Rody” Gray. As a child Arenzo enjoyed taking things apart and putting them back together. He loved spending time with his family on both sides, the Stradford’s and the Gray’s. He also enjoyed going to his grandmother’s homes, Ms. Stradford “Granny”, Mrs. Gray “Marlee” and his great, grandmother, Ms. Sherrill “Cano”. He was crazy about his Granny’s homemade rolls, nothing compared.  He would take her shopping every month so he could help carry her bags and earn some snacks. When Marlee moved into her new house, Arenzo pulled out her new tree in the backyard thinking it was grass, Marlee got on him and told him to figure out how to put it back into the ground, which he did, the tree grew back and that tree still stands strong today. Arenzo loved Marlee’s cornbread so much that during a holiday dinner he yelled through a house full of people that he didn’t have any of Marlee’s cornbread on his plate! Arenzo would go to Cano’s house just to get off of punishment as she would tell Anita and Rody that he is not on punishment at her house and he could eat all of the junk food and snacks that he wanted too all the while smiling and laughing about it. Growing up Arenzo enjoyed playing football with Gerald, the two of them would throw broken pieces of tile off the upstairs porch and would use them as frisbee’s. They used to do front and back flips off of the dresser in their bedroom and played sports video games on a regular basis. He looked forward to wrestling with his sister/cousin, Malinda, when they would see each other that is how they greeted one another, Malinda would start it and Arenzo would finish it. He was the family jokester just like his Uncle Berl. He enjoyed spending time with his niece, Genesis “Bubbles” Hickman, she loved calling him her Uncle and when he was sleeping she would yell for him and if he didn’t wake up she would knock on his bedroom door until he did.

He attended Cleveland Public Schools through the 8th grade and then attended Warrensville Heights High School from 9th-12th grade where he took honors classes. He had a bad habit of coming home from school and going straight to bed without doing any of his homework. His classmates didn’t understand how he was able to keep his grades up because he would sleep in class then wake up and get A’s on his tests; he was smart, sharp and gifted when it came to knowledge. Arenzo played football, basketball and baseball for Warrensville Heights High School. He graduated in 2014 and that same year he also received the Academic/Scholar Athlete Award. A lot of family members wanted him to go to college and play sports but he already had his mind made up, he wanted to serve his country. He scored an 86 on his ASWAB test which meant he qualified for a top level job in the military.  While in basic training he was appointed the Flight Dorm Chief Commander, which meant he was in charge of his unit of 70 airmen. Arenzo asked his Sergeant why he picked him for that job and he told him he was the only one in his unit that didn’t flinch. His Sargeant asked him why he didn’t flinch and Arenzo told him that he grew up in several boot camps back home. Arenzo served for four years in the US Air Force where he was an Aerospace Drone Specialist and then moved on to an Aerospace Drone Trainer. He received a full honorable discharge in 2018.

In his spare time, he enjoyed online trading which he was extremely successful in, everything Arenzo did he was great at! He worked for a chemical solvent company as a Supervisor, up until his passing.

Arenzo leaves to mourn: his mother, Anita Stradford; his fathers, Arthur Cowan, Jr. and Rashid “Rody” Gray; his brothers: Gerald (Therese) Hickman, Jr., Andrae Cowan and Arthur Cowan, III; his sisters: Malinda (Sonny) Thomas, Sandra Cowan, Dee Dee Cowan and Ebony Dorth; his grandmother, Marlee Gray and a host of aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

He is preceded in death by his grandmothers, Albertha Stradford “Granny”, his great-grandmothers, Irma Stradford and Elcano “Cano” Sherrill; his grandfather, Robert Lee Stardford, Sr., his cousins: Malissa Stradford, Adrian Stradford, Cordale Lovelace, Jasmine Stradford and Jimmy “Mac” Stradford; his uncles: Berl Gray, James “Bo” Gray and Ezekiel “Zeke” Lester.

The family would like to thank everyone for their prayers, love and support during this difficult time.

A Celebration of Life will be held in February, 2025, specifics will be announced in the new year.

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