Susan Renaker Nikas

February 27, 1940 - June 10, 2022 Susan Renaker Nikas, 82, passed away at her home in San Dimas, California from congestive heart failure. She was an intelligent, talented, and generous woman who remained active running the family business and writing and recording songs until the last six months of her life. Susan was one of four children of Maxine and John Renaker. At 18 she traveled to England to try her hand at being a folksinger. Later she met her husband Theodore Nikas while performing at his coffee house The Prison of Socrates in Balboa. After her daughter started school, Susan obtained her teaching credential and became a U.S. History teacher. In the late 1970s, she went to work in the family business, eventually becoming the CEO of Hagen-Renaker, Inc. Over the years, she worked hard to maintain the tradition of quality of the ceramic figurines the 75-year-old company produced. They were featured in an article in the LA Times, an exhibit at Cal Poly Pomona, and numerous publications aimed at the dedicated collector community. In the late 1980s, she also returned to her musical roots, forming the popular bluegrass band, Clay County, which performed at festivals and released numerous CDs. Even after Clay County ceased performing, she continued writing songs and releasing solo albums, the last being "Too Late Now," released in 2021. Susan will be sorely missed by family and friends. She was predeceased by her parents and older brother, Jim, and is survived by her twin brother David, sister Mary, daughter Ekaterine Nikas Terlinden, son-in-law Donald, and grandchildren Elizabeth and William Terlinden. Donations can be made in her honor to the American Heart Association.