Susan Elizabeth Beard

Long time Colton resident, Susan(n) Elizabeth Beard, passed away in her son's home in Highland, on April 25, 2021, from cervical cancer. She was 72. Born in Los Angeles, California on January 7, 1949, Susan was the daughter of Katherine Irene and Virgil Garrett Nichols and was the granddaughter of Susie and Forrest Smith who established Cottage Flowers in downtown Colton in 1949. (It later became Smith's Colton Flowers.) Susan was a graduate of Colton High and worked part time at her grandparents' flower shop. She was married at the age of 17 to Russell Powers. At 18, she was in a tragic automobile accident that killed their 4 month-old baby, Faon Elizabeth, and injured Susan severely. Susan went on to have another daughter and a son before moving to Wisconsin for a number of years. Returning to Colton, Susan graduated from San Bernardino Valley College and established a graphics design company called igasp. She was a dancer, a notary public, a community volunteer and worked the census. She also worked as a cashier at Desert Industries before landing a job as a nighttime security guard with Securitas. In her spare time, inspired by her near death experience, Susan produced many works of art and wrote a book called "The Niche" about the spiritual link between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and the I-Ching. She believed that there exists a "Spark of Light Infinitely Divine" in each of us. Susan was creative, gregarious and fun. She is survived by her daughter, Nicole (Powers) Stefko of Las Vegas, her son Shaun Coplin of Highland, her 5 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and her sister Dorothy Nichols of Los Angeles.