Rosella Norton Arnold

Rosella Norton Arnold (aka Rose, Rosie, Mama Rose) was born October 17, 1934 in the Roswell area of Georgia to Minnie Estelle Grimes Norton and Wilburn Chaffin Norton. Mom always called her birthday “Tater Digging Day” because her farming family was concerned about bringing in the crops during that time. Rose was the last to be born and the last to pass of her 8 siblings: Irene Bryant, Thurman Norton, Clayton Norton, Roger Norton, Flora Lee Anderson, Lucretia Smith, Felton Norton, Flonnie Mae Hasty. When she was still in High School, the family gave up farming and moved to Atlanta where she attended Sylvan Hills High School.

Mom always worked hard, starting at a Five and Dime store and, eventually, the Metropolitan Life Insurance company in downtown Atlanta. She was a non-smoker until she found out MetLife provided smokers with periodic breaks throughout the work day. She picked up the habit.

In 1971 Mom started a career that would last 40 years when she went to work as a Certified Stenographer Court Reporter for her brother in law, Jim Hasty. At Brandenburg and Hasty, she enjoyed working taking down hearings and arbitrations. Most of her cases were in downtown Atlanta but she would occasionally travel to locations around the Southeast and would type up her transcripts from her home office.

She met her first husband, Lawrence Farmer, in the early 1950s and gave birth to Rita Lynn Farmer (James) in 1955. The two would eventually divorce, however. Several years later she met a widower named Lester Hamilton Arnold through mutual friends. The two married on December 26, 1969, becoming a family of four: Lester had a daughter named Linda Dianne Arnold (Cowart) from his previous marriage to Sue Jackson. Rose and Lester grew the family on February 4th, 1971 with the birth of Andrea Elaine Arnold (Shook).

The new family moved to Marietta from East Point in May 1971 where Rosella resided the rest of her life.

Some of Rose’s favorite things were: gathering with her family, her weekly hair appointment, cooking, shopping, reading, Crossword puzzles, tending to her flowers, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter and Thanksgiving, walking on the beach, dancing, deep sea fishing, traveling the United States, sewing, watching movies and TV shows, (she loved murder mysteries, crime and medical shows the best), embroidery, and she volunteered with AA where she ran meetings at HOW Place in Woodstock, Georgia for many years helping others battle alcoholism.

She never learned to swim but loved being near the water. As a young girl she attended Rock Springs Baptist Church and taught Sunday School. She also played guitar and basketball.

She was an exuberant, jovial, strong-willed, outgoing woman who said what was on her mind. She laughed a lot and loved her family deeply. She had seven grandchildren she adored: Brenton Neal Berry (47), James Hamilton Cowart (36), Lindsey Dianne Cowart Cromie (29), Corey Andrew James (26) Casey Leigh James(24), Piper Claire Shook (13) and Finnegan Hale Shook (7). She also has four great grandchildren Annabella Dawn Berry (13), Hamilton Waites Berry (11), Axel Steven James (1) and Asher William Cromie (6 mos).

Rosella passed away peacefully in her sleep after an 8 year battle with dementia/Alzheimer’s disease. She was cared for by Esther and David Woghiren at their East Lake house and their Golden Rose Personal Care Home during her last 8 years of life.

Visitation will be at Roswell Funeral Home 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, Georgia on Wednesday, January 10, 2018 from 5 to 7. The funeral service will be at noon on Thursday, January 11, 2017 followed by a graveside ceremony at Sherwood Memorial Gardens in Jonesboro, Georgia where she will be laid to rest near her sister and brother in law Lucretia and Ford Smith and her brother Roger Norton.

Flowers can be sent to the funeral home or donations to the Alzheimer’s Association in her memory can be made online at act.alz.org