Norma Ciriza Rose
Norma Ciriza Rose, a woman of exceptional character, beauty, and style, passed away peacefully at home in Buellton, on May 3rd, after a valiant 2 1/2 year battle with cancer. She was born in San Bernardino and lived most of her life in Santa Barbara. She graduated from San Marcos HS, took classes at SBCC which prepared her for the corporate world, and received a Bachelors Degree from Cal State Northridge. Norma was a skilled athlete in both tennis and softball, earning the nickname, “Stormin’ Norma” from one of her early company softball teams. But her passion was swing dancing and she studied and honed her craft through the Jonathan and Sylvia dance studio to the highest level possible, earning a spot in their touring dance troupe. This was a world class organization of skilled dancers that competed across the country in the U.S. Open and other tournaments and festivals. They were a Santa Barbara fixture and her fellow dancers remember Norma as a true artist.
1998 saw a resurgence in swing dancing and Norma went to Soho Music Club in Santa Barbara to dance to the “new” band in town, the Les Rose Swing Jazz Ensemble. That event started 28 years of love, partnership, and marriage. A wedding in Kauai, a reception with family and friends at Les’ sister’s house in Sherman Oaks, and their life together was off and running, filled with jazz, baseball, theater, movies, food, fitness, cats, and travel. Les and Norma traveled to Europe four times, as well as to great cities across the United States: New York, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Austin, New Orleans, Napa Valley, as well as up and down our Central Coast. They experienced the most iconic landmarks in all their glory – the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Center, Yankee Stadium, Buckingham Palace, the Parthenon, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame. As Les expanded his swing band to fit all occasions Norma was right there by his side going to trade shows, aligning contacts, garnering business. Her life in the corporate world coincided with his life as a musician as they planned and produced numerous events and galas for the companies she worked for. With Les achieving musical success while serving as band director for La Colina JHS and Dos Pueblos HS and Norma equally successful in the corporate world they worked as a team. They lived, and saved, and bought a home in Buellton, raising two precious kitties, Samantha and Lainey, building a life in the Santa Ynez Valley as the Valley grew around them. Norma had a passion for cooking, adopting recipes from the greatest chefs in the world, and from the NY Times cooking section. They enjoyed great restaurants here on the Central Coast and wherever they traveled.
Family events were precious to Norma. Every year Les and Norma enjoyed a trio of celebrations at the home of Norma’s brother Mickey and sister in-law Lynda. Along with niece Sonja, nephew Mikos, their spouses Russell and Jenny, and Sonja and Russell’s sons Jacob and Lucas, and Mikos and Jenny’s son Will and daughter Maddie, they all celebrated Thanksgiving, the Ciriza’s famous tamale party, and Christmas eve year after year. Mickey’s cooking was always the highlight, and the love between brother and sister was always evident. Equally, Les and Norma celebrated Passover at the home of Les’ sister Donna and her husband Marc. Along with niece Georgiana and nephew Zach their Seders were grand and filled with Jewish traditions and with recipes handed down from Les and Donna’s mom Dorothy. Dorothy absolutely loved Norma and loved how Les and Norma were happy together.
Norma took enormous pride in her 40 year career in the corporate world. She was an executive assistant in numerous Santa Barbara based companies: Mentor, Somera, Cottage Hospital, United Way, forming friendships along the way that stood the test of time. But 2 of them stood out in a way that defined her as a consummate professional: QAD and Novacoast. She thrived in the atmosphere of the sprawling property atop the cliff overlooking Summerland, enjoying the bustling everyday work and the conferences in New Orleans, San Antonio, and Atlanta, and the galas where Les’ band was hired to play. The commute from Buellton never fazed her, she embraced it. Lainey was always on her bathroom counter watching her get made up for the work day. Les to Goleta, Norma to Summerland, they were a team. Then her years with Novacoast, the last 10 years of her life, were so special for her. A smaller but equally vibrant company right in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, with a positive office atmosphere and a different brand of team building activities: a reception at the Cabrillo Arts Center, Painted Cabernet, bowling, cooking classes and ugly holiday sweater night. When the pandemic forced a pivot to remote work, the job continued with the same intensity and the company continued to thrive. She brought professionalism and was treated with professionalism.
Norma had a keen interest world affairs and culture, When the Obama administration opened up travel to Cuba, she and two of her best friends made the trip and it turned into a monumental journey. They visited all the major cities in Cuba including Havana and Trinidad, experienced the music, dance, museums, historical sights, and local faire, making the most of a once in a lifetime experience. Norma was so moved that she created a gigantic scrapbook of hundreds of pictures, labeled and curated, worthy of an historical museum. That’s the way Norma rolled, she was all in on everything.
One of her travel mates, Jayne Johann, remembers Norma as one of the dearest friends anyone could have: “Norma was extraordinary in every way. When we were much younger, she carried herself with maturity far beyond her years. She moved through life with grace, style, dignity, and quiet self-confidence. Norma always knew what she wanted, and she pursued her dreams with determination and courage. I admired her deeply and often wished I had her grit and discipline that helped her become such a beautiful dancer and achieve the life she envisioned for herself. Watching the courage and grace with which she faced her illness was truly remarkable. Through her long journey, I never once heard her complain. Even through her illness, she continued to ask about my life with genuine care and interest. She kept exercising, attending events, and living fully for as long as she could. She was never afraid to ask for help when she needed it in order to continue doing the things she loved. Norma’s deep love for Les was unmistakable to everyone who knew them. The admiration, pride, and joy she felt for him shone through every time she spoke his name or stood by his side. She delighted in celebrating him – at birthdays, at his gigs, and in all the moments that mattered most to him. Their bond was full of devotion and tenderness; Les was the love of her life, and she was his.”
Norma was generous to her favorite charities: Bethania Lutheran Church food drive, ASPCA, Humane World, Toys for Tots. But the true impact she made was on the friendships throughout the years, whether through the swing dance community, the corporate world, as a student, a client of Pilates, personal training, hair, nails, facials, or as part of the professional musician community. Suffice to say, when you met her you couldn’t forget her. She moved through life with grace and dignity, and did so to the very end.
An epic Celebration of Life will take place on Thursday, August 20th, at 11:00am Bethania Lutheran Church 603 Atterdag Rd. Solvang CA 93463
Followed by a reception at 1:15pm Nella Kitchen 2860 Grand Ave, Los Olivos, CA 93441
