Rose C. Norton

It is with great sadness that the family of Rose Cremonese Norton announces her passing on Saturday, March 29th, 2025, at the age of 92. Miss Rose, as she was known to many, is now dancing with the angels.

Rose loved to dance and dreamt of opening a dance school. Although the odds were against her, in 1964, she turned that dream into reality by opening Rose’s School of Dance. Spanning 55 years and three generations of students, Miss Rose touched the lives of thousands. In 1980, when she met the love of her life, Malcolm (Mack), the two of them immediately became a team as Mack began to accompany all her dance classes on the piano. They were married in 1983.

Rose was an active member of Dance Masters and Dance Educators of America, two professional organizations that held competitions and master classes by some of the best, such as Robert Joffrey and Ben Vereen. Rose established The Rose’s School of Dance Scholarship at Westlake High School. It was an annual award presented to a student continuing their education in the performing arts.

For years, Rose choreographed high school musicals for Westlake, Valhalla, and Alexander Hamilton. In 1970, she founded the Mount Pleasant Summer Stock, later known as Mount Pleasant Community Theatre. Through her efforts, teenagers, young adults, and eventually adults of any age were able to experience the stage as performers, musicians, scenery, lighting, or stage crew hands in a safe environment during the summer months.

Rose has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Cab Calloway Lifetime Achievement Award, awards from the Italian Center, Mount Pleasant Chamber of Commerce, Mount Pleasant Rotary Club, Westlake High School Players, and the Valhalla High School Drama Society.

Rose was undoubtedly a pillar in our community, giving so much of herself to her students and others in need. To us, she was more than a teacher, a confidant, and a friend; to us, she was also a wife, a mother, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. To us, she is irreplaceable, and we will miss her so very deeply.

Rose will forever remain in the hearts of her husband of 42 years, Malcolm, her blended family; children, Pamela Cremonese Green (Kerry), Katherine Cremonese Cunningham, Jody Norton (Susan), Rae Norton West; grandchildren, Ukiah Cunningham Pastor, Ryan Landolt (A-Yan), Justin Cunningham, Sean Landolt (Rachel), Emily Cunningham Sheperd (Brian), Daniel Norton (Rebecca), Aaron Norton (Shelley), Lynde Norton, Ben Norton, Elanee Norton, Vayda Vazquez-Norton, Malcolm West, Maya Rae Norton, 13 grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren, including the beautiful baby boy born on the day his great-grandmother passed away.

In all the different ways Rose has touched our lives, the one thing we can all agree upon is that Rose made life a little better, and for that, we are blessed.

If you wish to make a donation in lieu of flowers, please contact the Rosary Hill Home for cancer patients at www.rosaryhillhome.org and make your gift in memory of Rose Cremonese Norton.

To view details regarding service information for Rose, please visit her obituary page at Beecher Flooks Funeral Home, Inc., in Pleasantville, NY.