Cruz J Aleman

Beloved son, brother, grandson and primo, Cruz Javier Alemán, 16 years, passed away on May 24, 2021, in Aurora, Colorado. Born on June 15, 2004, in Austin, Texas, he is survived by his father Jason Alemán and his wife Cindy, and his mother Marisa Moses and her husband Mike. Cruz will be profoundly missed by his older brother, Omar Enrique Alemán, and his step siblings, Jared Moses, Marina Garza, and Christian Garza. His grandparents will always hold him close in their hearts.

Cruz was equal parts sweet, precocious, and mischievous, with a distinctive giggle and knowing smile. From a very young age, he was fiercely independent and uncannily mature. At times, he vibrated with energy, making silly faces and goofy dance moves that could turn into the life of the party at the numerous family reunions and get-togethers he attended. Cruz was also a gentle soul that could also be easygoing and effortlessly reconnect with any of his cousins, tías and tíos from Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, California and South Texas. He had a direct and straightforward manner of speaking, and could banter and tease with the best of them.

Cruz enjoyed the freedom the outdoors allowed. Many happy memories were made while hiking throughout New Mexico with his brother, camping with his family throughout the southwest, fishing with his grandfather--even by simply riding his bike through his neighborhood. He liked being unencumbered. His mom remembers him stripping down to his undies when returning home from school each day, a practice he kept up until the age of 13.

A constant companion was his yellow labrador, Midas. Midas joined his family as a puppy and they became inseparable, as Midas did not like to let Cruz out of his sight. They slept together in the same bed nightly, even when Midas became too big for Cruz’s twin bed.

Cruz picked up skiing at the age of 10 when he moved to New Mexico and within a year, he was an expert skier. He honed his black diamond skills in the mountains outside of Albuquerque, where he lived for six years before moving to Colorado. He was a natural on skis, fearless whether he was gliding down the slopes or zooming backwards at unbelievable speeds.

Cruz’s gaze was fixated on the heavens. His fascination and knowledge of the vast, unexplored universe and humankind’s attempt to navigate it allowed him to deliver college-level lectures about the technical challenges of space travel that SpaceX--the aerospace company headed by Elon Musk--was determined to master, as well as contemporary theories about our galaxy. He especially loved explaining the science behind SpaceX’s rockets while sharing pizza with his dad.

Music was another of Cruz’s passions. He was a huge fan of the alternative rock group, Twenty One Pilots, and he shouted every one of their lyrics alongside them when attending their concert with his dad. Omar and Cruz had quite a few car-ride-sing-alongs to his other favored groups, including other 90’s alternative rock bands like Green Day, Linkin Park, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam.

He was a surprisingly good conversationalist for his age. His recall of both U.S. and World history, for instance, allowed him to contribute insightful information or analyses to discussions with both his peers and the adults in his life. His interests also included technology and nation-building. He pondered existential questions and had begun to develop deep convictions and a critical consciousness about improving the state of our world, appreciating opportunities to engage these ideas with others.

Another domain Cruz mastered was the grill. He could sear meat to perfection. While he was prone to boast about his talents, he would also often use them to thoughtfully prepare dinner for his family. He might even round out the meal by baking a pan of brownies, one of his favorite desserts. Always a South Texan at heart, one of his preferred raspa flavors was dill pickle.

Services to honor his infectious laugh, his witty spirit, and his irreverent sense of humor will be held on Saturday, June 5 at Sunset North Funeral Home, 910 N. Loop 1604 East, San Antonio, Texas, 78232. Visitation will be held from 10am to 11am. The memorial service will begin at 11am, with refreshments available between noon and 2pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to the science and technology camps subsidized by the Edgewood Education Foundation of San Antonio. As a young boy, Cruz attended summer science camps at Edgewood. Because his curiosity of the galaxy was nurtured here, we hope you can help San Antonio youth benefit from their programming, as well. You can donate at https://www.eefsa.net by clicking on the “Donate” link on the upper right hand corner. To ensure your donation honors Cruz’s memory, click on the small gray pen icon below the “monthly donation” option and a cursor will appear. Use this space to type in “In memory of Cruz Alemán.” We thank you for honoring him this way and hope that every time you gaze up at the night sky, you think of Cruz soaring confidently on celestial skis, charting the stars and discovering their secrets.