Rosemary (Notestine) Wright, 94, of Paw Paw, passed away peacefully Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, at Maple Lake Assisted Living, Paw Paw. She was born Nov. 12, 1929, in Sturgis, MI, the daughter of Ivan Notestine and Grace (McGary) Notestine.
Rosemary loved to dance and taught line dancing for many years in Florida. She was a talented seamstress and made her daughters their prom dresses. She also enjoyed a good game of bingo. She was known for her delicious cooking and baking, her famous recipe being her homemade noodles, cream pies and famous chocolate chip cookies. If she knew the family would be visiting, she would always have cookies prepared. She also made sure there was plenty to take home as well. Rosemary was a gentle and soft-spoken soul unless she was playing euchre. She was extremely competitive, played with dominance and could remember perfectly which cards everyone else had played. Rosemary would play euchre for hours with her family. When the holidays rolled around, everyone would gather at her house, eat, (loosen their clothing if needed) and then play euchre.
Most importantly, Rosemary loved her family. She hosted many family get-togethers either at her home on “Lil-Pond-A-Rosie” or at her winter home in Davenport, Florida. While in Florida, Rosemary enjoyed playing bingo and when no one was around for euchre, Rosemary and her husband turned their focus to playing cribbage. She especially looked forward to spring break when her children and grandchildren would come visit. Rosemary and her late husband, Carl, would take them to the area theme parks in Florida like Disney, SeaWorld, and Busch Gardens. Her family’s happiness was always her number one priority.
Rosemary is survived by her son, Steven (Marcia) Wright; two daughters, Debra (late Rick) Zache and Cristine (Dave) Martin; 10 grandchildren, Mandy (Nate) Johnson, Misty Wright, Mikki Spagnoli, Chip (Kassandra McCorkhill) Wright, Robert (Leslie) Zache, Amie (Andy) Petrie, Kelli (Nic) Martin, Kendra (Greg) LeBold, Rachel Martin and David (Katie) Martin; 22 great-grandchildren; and former grandsons-in-law, Michael Spagnoli, Andy Kinkade and David Walker. Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents; her husband of 69 years, Carl E. Wright in 2017; and siblings, Billy Notestine, Betty Nichols-Grams, Richard Notestine and Shirley Adams.
Family and friends were invited to visit Tuesday, Dec. 12, at Adams Funeral Home, 502 W. Michigan Ave., Paw Paw, where a memorial service was held that evening with Ron Packer officiating. Cremation followed.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or Centrica Care Navigators.
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