Claudia Shakenis Obituary

It is with sad hearts that our family announces the passing of Claudia Susan Shakenis (Susie McKinney), 77, recently of Waldport, Oregon. She passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025, at the home of her daughter in Boise, Idaho after a short illness.

Susie came into the world at the Mary Secor Hospital in Emmett, Idaho on September 3, 1948. She was the eighth, and last, child born to Abe and Mary McKinney of Ola, Idaho. She did not join her brothers and sisters right away, however. Her brother, Herbie, had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to go to the Portland Hospital for further treatment, accompanied by Susie's mother. A dear friend and neighbor, Clairetta, took Susie into her home until her mother and brother could return. In a message to Susie on her last birthday, her sister Judie said: "I don't remember the day you were born, but I remember the day they brought you home. We were still living in the old house and Mom laid you on her bed and let me crawl up to get a good look. How precious you were, a gift from God to help our parents through a trying time."

Sue grew up on a ranch in the Ola Valley, attending Ola School and later, Emmett High School. After graduating in 1966, she took a job as a teller at the local bank, beginning what would be a decades-long career in banking. She worked in Emmett until wanderlust drew her north to Alaska where she took a job in a bank in Anchorage. After a year, she left Alaska for the warmer climate of southern California. It was there that she met and married Wayne Rimkus in 1968. Their daughter, Pyxis, was born there in 1972. Their son, Triton, was born in 1974 after they moved back to Idaho to live.

With a brief break to run a daycare, Sue's Zoo, out of her home in 1978, Sue worked in banking for the rest of her professional life, rising from teller, to secretary, to executive assistant, and, by retirement, to assistant loan servicing manager. She worked for Bank of America, Idaho First, WestOne, and closed out her career at Syringa Bank in 2014. She was a hard worker, and her positive attitude lifted the spirits of many friends made in the workplace.

In 1994, Sue met Stan Shakenis after crossing paths in north Boise where they both lived and walked their dogs in the evenings. They married in 2000 and lived in west Boise, always working together on home improvement projects and, eventually, on their acreage on the Snake River. When Stan retired, they sold their Boise home and moved to their place on Map Rock Road. They worked for several years on Map Rock, clearing brush, planting trees, and building a home. In 2021, tired of the work of maintaining their place on the Snake River, they moved to Waldport, on the Oregon Coast. They bought a wreck of a place and totally transformed it into a light, bright cottage with an ocean view. Stan passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in July 2024, and Sue continued living in Waldport and working on their home there.

In her lifetime, Sue had enormous curiosity and a desire to learn new things. She learned to windsurf in the 1980s and spent many weekends at Lucky Peak or Parkcenter Pond, even appearing in the Idaho Statesman for being brave enough to sailboard into October, when others had packed it in at the end of summer. She was an amazing seamstress, sewing everything from an authentic Chewbacca costume from an old furry bedspread to a tailored sofa cover with matched variegated stripes. She did macrame, crochet, and painting. The homes she lived in all exhibited her special artistic talent for interior design.

Sue is remembered for her generous and giving heart. There was always a spot at her table or a place to stay for a friend in need. She knew just what unique gifts to give to warm the recipients' hearts. She was a marvelous cook and delighted in preparing holiday meals and cooking favorite dishes for each family member to celebrate special occasions.

Sue loved being with her grandchildren. While always up for a cookie-decorating session, she could also be convinced to go outside the regular scope of grandma activities for unplanned adventures, like an afternoon spent riding the city bus around, testing out a new bus pass.

Sue was a great mom. Her personal sacrifice in service to the welfare of her family has no estimable calculation. She taught us how to love by example. She was smart, goofy, and funny. Her resilience, patience, and steadfast fortitude had no bounds. She was the best of us, and she gave her best to us.

Sue became ill in July of this year and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which was beyond treatment. She came home to Boise to live with Pyxis and receive hospice care. Triton left his place in Astoria, Oregon, to be by her side and care for her with Pyxis during her last weeks. She was glad to be with her family during this time, and we were grateful that she was able to share her love and stories with us.

Susie is survived by her daughter, Pyxis Rimkus (Jon Mullin) of Boise, ID; her son, Triton Rimkus of Astoria, OR; grandchildren, Jude Mullin of Boise, ID, Lucy Rimkus of Colorado Springs, CO, and Christian Rimkus of Boise, ID; two sisters, Judie McCaulou of Ola, ID and Mary Lee Blackford of Meridian, ID; two brothers, Larry McKinney (Shirley) of Meridian, ID, and Vern McKinney (Carol) of Sweet, ID, and numerous nieces and nephews. Her dog, Gus, has joined Pyxis's family.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Stanley Shakenis; parents, Abe and Mary McKinney; brothers, Len McKinney, Guy McKinney, and Herbert McKinney.

Special thanks for the prayers from her friends at the Waldport Foursquare Church; the kind care of her nurse, Aly, from St. Luke's Hospice; and the friendship of her Waldport neighbors, Lara, Allen, Jody, and Gerry.

A celebration of life service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at the Mint Barrel Barn Event Center in Nampa, ID.