Cole Stevens, known as “Sweet Boy,” 23, of Westerville, and a passionate climber, passed away on February 11, 2024. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 10, 2000.
A note from Cole’s mom:
“Cole was the most amazing son, brother, grandson, friend, [and] human, and I was fortunate enough to be his mom. He had a way of making others look at life in an entirely different way. In his way too short 23 years, he embraced every second and said that life was about having adventures because adventures resulted in having better stories to tell. His motto for life was, "No Bad Days." He even had it tattooed on his leg as a reminder to himself. Cole said that no day was all bad, there was always something good in every day, you just need to dig a little deeper on some days to find it. Cole was all about the outdoors, celebrating every sunrise and sunset, gazing at the stars, searching for shells, and loved to hike in Colorado, West Virginia, Ohio—wherever and whenever he got the opportunity. He also loved climbing, which he started before he could walk by climbing out of his crib, belonged to a climbing gym, and never met a mountain he didn't want to conquer. He loved to take his beloved dog, Daisy Mae, on every adventure he could. He said that she, unlike his friends, had no problem getting up early to go on adventures. He was a huge advocate for conservation and believed that every child needed to be exposed to the outdoors and get away from the TV and video games.
He taught me so much about living, and I will continue to miss him every second of every day of my life. No mom should ever have to give a child back.”
Cole graduated from Thomas Worthington High School in 2019. Cole was proud of his career as a machining and fabrication technician at Buck Equipment. He aspired to have lots of adventures and stories to tell. He loved motorcycles, the outdoors, hiking, rock climbing, cliff diving, ATVing, surfing, snowboarding and skateboarding. When not dabbling in his addiction to extreme sports, he also enjoyed listening to all types of music from twangy country to EDM, cooking, antiquing and collecting clashing furniture off the side of the road. He loved and could repair anything with wheels or related to hot tubs. He had an affinity for people and animals alike and seemed incapable of going anywhere without finding a few new friends or places to nap. He was a self-proclaimed Mama’s boy; when he was little he would wake up his Mama just to have her to look at the sunrise. He loved spending time with his family almost as much as he loved raiding their refrigerators for leftovers.
Cole is greatly missed by his parents, Amy and Brad Weiner; sisters, Delilah O’Dell, Megan (Meg) Sebar, and Marissa Weiner; grandparents, Carol Hill and Carolyn O’Dell; nephew, Bennett Sebar; Aunt Kathy; Aunt Denise (Corye); Uncle Phil and Aunt Jill; his special four-legged friend, Daisy Mae (aka, the Doozle dog); and his closest friends, Brock, Gabo, and Julian; as well as numerous extended family and friends.
Cole’s family’s wish is to honor and celebrate Cole’s life by encouraging others to make a gift in his memory. They suggest directing it to the AAC’s Advocacy program to carry on Cole’s deep passion for conservation and love of the great outdoors.
*Please be sure to include that your gift is in memory of Cole Stevens in the comments section so we can be sure to recognize your gift appropriately.