Susana “Susie” Yen Hendricks (b. November 23, 1929 in Ningpo, China) of Oceanside, California passed away on August 22nd, 2020. She is survived by her husband Herbert, and her four children Eric, Leif, Astrid, and Christopher. She is preceded in death by her parents Xuan-Ling 'Jane' (nee Jing) and Wan-Li 'Willie' Yen and her four brothers; Paul, William, Victor, and Luis. She is also survived by her grandchildren Kaitlin, Nicholas, Emma, Alexander, Gregory, Haley, Gabriella, Zoe, Maude, Duncan, and Theodore and two great-grandchildren James and Maggie.
A scholar and an educator, Susana was fluent in Mandarin, Spanish, and English, and with a working knowledge of French, German and Portuguese, her original intentions were to be a translator for the United Nations. Those plans changed when she met her husband of 67 years, Herbert. While raising their family, she channeled her desire to learn and educate into many avenues throughout her life. She taught Spanish at Redlands High School and at the University of California at Riverside, and during the 1980's served as a lecturer in ethnic studies at Humboldt State University. Her focus was on educating students about the influence and contributions of those who immigrated from Asia and their impact on the development and success of California and the United States. She and her colleagues' efforts led to the permanent inclusion of a set of ethnic studies courses offered at Humboldt State University. Susie fought against racial injustice that she experienced, as well as championed the rights of others throughout Humboldt County. She served as a member of the Eureka chapter of the NAACP. She was a leader in the Humboldt County labor movement and was actively involved in the Asian student association at Humboldt State University.