Maria

March 28, 1987 - On this day, Maria von Trapp, the spirited matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers, died in Vermont at age 82.

As a young novice at Nonnberg Abbey, Maria was sent to tutor the children of widowed naval officer Georg Ludwig von Trapp. She married him in 1927, joining his seven children and later raising three more of their own.

After losing much of their wealth during the economic turmoil of the 1930s, the family turned to music—training rigorously and winning top honors at the Salzburg Festival before launching a successful international touring career.

In 1938, following the Nazi annexation of Austria, the family quietly departed by train, eventually emigrating to the United States. Their story would later inspire the beloved musical The Sound of Music.

They settled in Vermont, where they opened a lodge in the mountains. Maria lived there for decades, guiding the family legacy until her death—her life forever echoing in song.