Shirley Jean (Gates) Adams

Northfield Shirley J. Adams Shirley Jean Gates Adams, 84, longtime resident of Northfield, died Tuesday, September 5, 2017, at the Merrimack County Nursing Home. Shirley was born in Manchester, NH October 22, 1932 to Carl Oscar Gates and Mildred Lindh Gates. She attended the Straw School in Manchester, Robinson's Seminary in Exeter, and earned a GED at Tilton-Northfield High School. As a young woman, Shirley worked as a bookkeeper and later enjoyed working at Howells Printing in downtown Tilton. As a homemaker, she was a great cook and loved to sew, paint and garden, keeping a garden in the same spot for 60 years and sharing her veggies with neighbors, friends and family. Shirley loved music and was a devoted fan of her grandson's band. Faithful and loyal friend, loving mother and grandmother, she loved her church, the Tilton-Northfield United Methodist Church. Shirley never let illness keep her down, often seen out and about with her walker, with others trying to keep up! She was predeceased by her husband Richard J. Adams in 2013. She leaves her son Anthony J. Adams of Northfield, her daughter Andrea J. Adams and her husband Robert Goeman of Exeter, and grandchildren Barrett Goeman and Valerie Goeman. Friends and relatives are invited to a celebration of Shirley's life Saturday, September 9, 2017 at 11:00AM at the Tilton-Northfield United Methodist Church, 400 West Main Street in Tilton. Burial will be private for her family in St. John Cemetery in Tilton next to her parents and husband, Richard. Assisting with arrangements is the William F. Smart S. Memorial Home of Tilton. Those wishing may make memorial contributions in Shirley's name to the McKenna House for the homeless in Concord.