Obituary of Rakiyah Renee Bowden

Rakiyah Renee Bowden of Kalamazoo left this life on Monday, September 19, 2022. Rakiyah was born on April 13, 1986, to the parent of Rachelle Bowden and Anthony Portrum.

Rakiyah also known as Kiyah and Roose attended Kalamazoo Public Schools and West Michigan College of Barbering and Beauty and was a lifelong resident of Kalamazoo, Michigan. 

Kiyah loved to make things with her hand and was very crafty. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing and rap, draw, and hang out with friends and family. Kiyah enjoyed playing with different hairstyles and did not follow the path of others but created her own lane when it came to being unique. 

Kiyah was a fierce protector of her mom and children. She gave great advice and would put people in their place. She had a very active social life and enjoyed playing cards with family. Kiyah was the epidemy of “If you stay ready; you never have to get ready.”

Rakiyah is proceeded in death by her paternal grandparents: Cleveland and Gladys Bowden and Lawrence Blackmon. Great uncles William Bowden and Edmond Overton and great-aunts Ollie Canda and Minnie Thrash; cousins Nikel Coleman, Dennis Dixon, and Devante Coleman. Special friends Jamie Riveria and Gregory (Dock) Mills. 

She is survived by her two children: Kam’ron Williams and Kirrah Bowden, her maternal parents Rachelle and Theresa Bowden, brother Raynard Harris (Bobbie) of North Carolina, sisters Keyona Harris and Leniya Stafford of Kalamazoo, MI. Her paternal father Anthony Portrum of Grand Rapids, MI; grandparents Willie and Hazel Cook of Kalamazoo, uncles Karam Shabazz (Hamidah) of Indianapolis, IN, Donald (Pam) Bowden, Richard Bowden, and Irving Bowden all of Kalamazoo, MI; Walter (Linda) Portrum of Olive Branch, MS, Del (Genine) Cook of Three Rivers, MI; aunts Dorothy Bowden, Ruby Dixon, Delores Bowden; Caroline Killingsworth and Virginia Bowden all of Kalamazoo, MI and Charlotte (Terry) Truss of Battle Creek, MI; Jo-Anna (Eldon) Dorrington of Mattawan, MI, Sandra (Tommy) Hayden of Elkhart, IN and Linda (Marc) Hopkins of Constantine, MI.  She also leaves to cherish her memory special cousins Demisha, Myesha, and Shardae, as well as a host of nieces and nephews, cousins, and friends.