Griffin Arleighton Nowak, 19 years young, was born in Charlotte, N.C., on July 23, 2002. Griffin passed away unexpectedly on January 4, 2022, and is survived by his mother, Cheryl Skalyo Nowak, and his brother, Christopher Wallace Nowak, and several aunts, uncles, cousins, godmother and grandparents. Griffin is with his father, Christopher Scott Nowak, where they are together in Heaven with the Lord. Together they are looking down upon us trying to provide Christopher and I with the strength we need to continue on with our lives.

Griffin was a beautiful young man and he was loved by many. He attended Lake Norman Charter High School, where he graduated in June 2020. In the Fall of 2020, he entered the Hendricks Motor BMW automotive program at CPCC Matthews. Griffin loved cars, especially fast cars. He also loved music; he even taught himself how to play the piano and the guitar. One of his most beloved hobbies was skateboarding. He would watch videos for hours, and he could be found at any number of skate parks on warm or even cold days. He said it calmed him and that he could think clearer when he was outside skating. That is how I like to imagine him … in his “skater clothes” with the wind blowing through his beautiful curls. It brought me joy to know how much joy it brought to him.

Griffin was so many things — kind, thoughtful, introspective, funny, intelligent. He was a good son, good brother and good friend. Many of Griffin’s friends have shared their feelings about their relationship with him, and I know I can say that he was truly loved by his friends and I know the feelings were reciprocated. He was loved by so many, and he touched several lives with his calm and laid-back manner.

Griffin’s last place of employment was at Dove’s Tire in Huntersville, N.C. He really enjoyed working there and he learned a lot by working on cars, which benefited his commitment to his automotive major.

Private services will be held on Saturday, February 5, at St. Therese Catholic Church (the day chapel), 217 Brawley School Road, Mooresville, NC 28117. The service will begin at 1 p.m. and it will be livestreamed so that family and friends can watch the service.

For those who are invited to the private service and are unable to attend the service, you may go to the following link for the live stream https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1642908823161715

Cavin-Cook Funeral Home & Crematory, Mooresville, is serving the family. Condolences may be made to the family at www.cavin-cook.com.