Annette C. (Nickerson) Kirkland, of Melrose, died at the North Shore Medical Center in Salem on October 10, 2017 at the age of 81. Annette was born & raised in Cambridge and a graduate of Cambridge Rindge High School. She resided in Cambridge until 1966, Somerville for 5 years and Melrose since 1971. Mrs. Kirkland worked as a Shipper for Automatic Radio and at Tympanium Corporation for over 25 years. She loved taking long rides with her husband Fred and enjoyed traveling to Florida and Montreal, Canada. Annette like doing word search puzzles, watching Days of Our Lives and Perry Mason and loved her weekly phone calls with her brother Barney in Colorado. She especially enjoyed the times spent with her family. She was the beloved wife of the late Frederick N. Kirkland for 58 years. Loving mother of Linda J. MacLaren & her husband Donald of Tewksbury and Robert A. Kirkland of Melrose. Cherished grandmother of Jenn MacLaren-Soucie & her husband Ronald and Donald MacLaren & his wife Allyson, all of Tewksbury. Great grandmother of Quintin, Aidan, Natalia, Ryley and Jackson. Caring sister of Ronald "Barney" Nickerson & his wife Kathy Alcorn of CO and Douglas Nickerson of Cape Cod. Caring sister-in-law of Marion Hesketh of Tewksbury. Also survived by many nieces & nephews. Visitation will be held at the Gately Funeral Home, 79 W. Foster St., Melrose on Monday October 16, 2017 from 4:00-7:00PM. A funeral service will be held at the Gately Funeral Home on Tuesday, October 17th at 10:00AM. Relatives & friends are respectfully invited to attend. Burial in Puritan Lawn Cemetery, Peabody. In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in Annette's name to the National Kidney Foundation, 85 Astor Ave, Norwood, MA 02062.