Obituary of Oscar Cleo Akins

Oscar Cleo Akins was born on October 25, 1955 in Auburndale, Florida to Johnnie Lee, Sr. and Lula Mae Akins. Cleo was the little cute baby boy with hazel eyes. In 1960, at the age of 6 years old, he, his parents, and four brothers moved to Long Beach, NY. He grew up on Pine Street, where he came to be well known in the community. Cleo went through the Long Beach Public Schools system and was always the child that would go to bed early, while his brothers would stay up late. Growing up, he enjoyed playing sports such as softball, football, but his first passion was basketball - which he was an exceptional player. He was always on the go and "running the streets" as his family would say - hanging with his brothers, friends, and cousins - even into adulthood. There was a time when he and his brother, Eugene, played on opposite teams in basketball and no one on his brother's team wanted to guard him - leaving him with the unfortunate task that he didn't look forward to. There was a reason why his nickname was "Scor" and that's what he did while playing the game. His second passion was cars, specifically his Road Runner muscle car and hanging out with his brothers and their muscle cars. After finishing high school, Cleo spent a summer at SUNY Old Westbury taking prep courses for the fall classes. At the end of the program, he returned to Long Beach and became part of the EOC Youth Summer Program. Shortly after, he began working for the City of Long Beach as a full time employee for Beach Maintenance. He was an excellent worker who took much pride in his work and kept the beach in pristine condition. While maintaining his job there, he decided to go to school for heavy duty equipment operation and upon completion of school, he became the main heavy duty equipment operator for the City of Long Beach and began training other workers as well. He also helped to secure summer jobs for many kids from the neighborhood to work for the City. In 1977, Oscar met Pamela Kinkade and they began dating. In 1982, they had Chandra Akins, whom he loved with all his heart and soul and was always very active in her life. He was also a father figure and second father to Chandra's older cousin, Angela Kinkade. He would pick them both up from school and take them to the park, out to eat - especially at Red Lobster, and spend time with them riding around in the car as well. Oscar was the "cool dad," in that he spent a lot of time carting Chandra and her friends around to Jamrock, concerts, parties, etc. BUT when it was time to leave, he didn't play any games and meant what he said when it was time for them to be picked up. In December 2001, Oscar welcomed his first grandchild, the son he never had, Justin Ayala. In January 2007, he welcomed his second grandchild, Mikaella Glen - furthering his love & patience for his girls. He enjoyed taking Justin to the playground and teaching him to play basketball. Justin gave him the nickname "GrandmaDaddy" which stuck, and that's what all the kids called him. He was a fun-loving Grandpa that would take them out and was known to play "bulldog" with all of them. He was always joking around with the kids and making them laugh, especially by greeting them with what he would call "shooting them the chin." In 2010, Oscar and Karima met and began dating. They met by coincidence at the ATM in Western Beef in Roosevelt. From there he asked her on their first date, and he made her fried fish. From the very beginning of their relationship, he was active in Mikael's life, Karima's son which she had before they met. In May 2014, he and Karima got married. On July 30, 2014, Samira Aaliyah Akins was born into the family. Samira was the next light of life and being that he was able to be a stay at home dad to her, she was glued to his hip. Oscar was known for his cooking - especially his fried fish & fried shrimp on seafood nights and being on the grill at family bbqs. His other passions included hotrod cars, working out (he was very proud of his arms and would always wear muscle shirts). He was also known for his jokes, his infectious laugh, and talking junk. He was the go-to guy from many many people and was always offering a helping hand to his family and friends. He always wanted a Cadillac truck and in December 2019, he finally got it. He loved his car and ALWAYS kept his car clean, washed, and waxed - shining! Oscar departed this life on May 10, 2020 . He was preceded in death by his father, Johnnie Lee Akins, his brother Johnnie "Dust" Lee Akins, Jr., and his grandparents. Oscar Cleo Akins leaves to cherish his memories: his mother, Lula Mae Akins; his three brothers Eugene Akins, Louis Akins, and Hajji Akins; his wife, Karima Ray-Akins; his daughters, Chandra Akins and Samira Akins; his stepson, Mikael Ray; his two grandchildren, Justin Ayala and Mikaella Glen; and a host of other cousins, aunts, uncles, family and friends.