Clarine Hermina Hercules

Clarine Hermina Hercules, 88, of Freeport, New York, passed away peacefully in Frederick, Maryland, on March 6, 2026. Born on April 17, 1937, in Georgetown, Guyana, she was the daughter of Charles and Rebecca VanCooten. Clarine attended Saint Sidwell’s Anglican School and was an active member of Saint Sidwell’s Anglican Church, where she met her late husband, Patrick Hercules, at a church mixer. As a young woman she enjoyed track and field, known for her energy and determination.

Clarine and Patrick built a loving family together, raising six children: Marcia Hercules Noble (Reg), Michael Hercules, Mervin Hercules (Angel Smith), Mark Hercules, Clarence Hercules, and Patricia Hercules Pinchinat (Jeff). In 1963 she left Guyana and immigrated to the United States seeking better opportunities for her family. She began working as a domestic, then as a nurse’s aide, before enrolling in the Practical Nursing program at the Vocational Education and Extension Board in Hempstead, New York. In 1975 she passed the New York State Board examination and became a Licensed Practical Nurse. She devoted many years to caring for patients in long-term care facilities and later provided compassionate private-duty nursing until her retirement in 2002.

After retiring, Clarine settled in Tampa, Florida, where she became a devoted member of El Bethel Tabernacle and was affectionately known as “Mother Hercules.” In 2018 she moved to Maryland to live with her daughter Patricia and her family. She remained active in her faith, streaming church services every Sunday, and found joy in thrift shopping, sewing, gardening, and traveling, especially on cruises.

Clarine is survived by three children, Marcia Hercules Noble (Reg), Mervin Hercules (Angel Smith), and Patricia Hercules Pinchinat (Jeff), along with a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles and Rebecca VanCooten; her beloved husband, Patrick Hercules; and three sons, Michael Hercules, Mark Hercules, and Clarence Hercules. She will be remembered for her strength, resilience, deep faith, and unwavering love for her family.