Maria

March 28, 1987 - Maria von Trapp died on this day. She was the stepmother and matriarch behind the Trapp Family Singers, who are immortalized in The Sound of Music.

At age 18 she entered the abbey in Salzburg, Austria where she planned on becoming a nun. A tutoring assignment would bring her into the home of naval commander Georg Ludwig von Trapp, a widower with 7 children.

Georg and Maria would fall in love and eventually marry - just 2 months before their daughter Rosmarie was born.

The family lost their fortune in a bank failure and the Trapps resorted to renting out their luxurious home. To make some money they started singing and performing in festivals around Vienna. They were an instant sensation!

Next thing you know the Trapps were touring all over Europe and the United States. Books were written and movies were made.

The family would eventually set up permanent residence in Vermont where they managed a lodge. That's where Maria lived until her death from heart failure.