STERLING, MASS — Marianne Louise (Thomas, Hulse) Powers, also called “May Flower,” 65, of Sterling, died on Thursday, January 5, 2023, at Oakdale Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Center in West Boylston, Mass., after an illness.

Marianne leaves her husband of 11 years, John J. Powers of Sterling; stepdaughters Gaylene Hulse Buck and her sons, Randall and Philip, and Jeneen Hulse-Amado, husband Jose, and daughters, Jessica, Maranda, Samantha and Monica; stepson James D. Hulse and his sons, Steven and Andrew; Amenda Hulse and John D. Hulse; nephew Nikolai Yurkanin; niece Rebecca Powers; many cousins, and Hulse family members in Kansas with whom Marianne was close.

Marianne was predeceased by her partner of 31 years, Donald E. Hulse, his son John E. Hulse, her sister, Carol A. (Thomas) Powers and their parents, Raymond and Frances (Nicholas) Thomas. She was born in Clinton, Mass., and has lived in Sterling her whole life.

Marianne was a deacon at the First Church in Sterling. She held a degree in Early Childhood Education and one in Plastics from Nypro Inc in Clinton, where she worked for 42 years. She worked as an LPN at Oakdale Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing Center for several years, and with her husband at Sterling Auctions, where she worked for 11 years. She participated in pow-wows in Sterling, where she and John were married. Marianne loved going to the beach in Wells, Maine, and traveling to the Florida Keys. She loved monarch butterflies and raised some every summer. She befriended animals like deer, chipmunks who ate from her hand, and squirrels who would beg her for peanuts. She always kept a large supply of bird food on hand. Marianne was a kind and generous person who was loved by everyone she came in contact with.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Sterling Animal Shelter, Inc (www.sterlingshelter.org) or The Monarch Joint Venture (www.monarchjointventure.org). To share a memory or offer a condolence, visit www.milesfuneralhome.com