Maria Franziska von Trapp | |
|---|---|
 Petition for Naturalization, 1948 | |
| Born | Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp (1914-09-28)28 September 1914 |
| Died | 18 February 2014(2014-02-18) (aged 99) |
| Resting place | Trapp Family Lodge |
| Occupation(s) | Singer and Catholic missionary |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Georg von Trapp Agathe Whitehead |
Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp (28 September 1914 – 18 February 2014) was the second-oldest daughter ofGeorg von Trapp and his first wife,Agathe Whitehead von Trapp.[1][2] She was a member of theTrapp Family Singers, whose lives inspired the musical and filmThe Sound of Music. She was portrayed byHeather Menzies as the character "Louisa". She died at age 99, and was the last surviving sibling portrayed in the film.[2]
She was born on 28 September 1914 inZell am See,Salzburg, then part ofAustria-Hungary.[2]
Her siblings wereRupert von Trapp (1911–1992),Agathe von Trapp (1913–2010),Werner von Trapp (1915–2007),Hedwig von Trapp (1917–1972),Johanna von Trapp (1919–1994), andMartina von Trapp (1921–1951). Along with her six siblings, father, and stepmother,Maria Augusta von Trapp, she was part of the Trapp Family Singers, who inspired the 1959Broadway musical and the 1965Academy Award-winning Best PictureThe Sound of Music. Von Trapp sang second soprano in the choir, together with her sisterMartina von Trapp. The family fled Austria after theGerman annexation of Austria, fearing reprisals resulting from declining to sing atHitler's birthday party and Georg von Trapp's refusal to accept a commission in Nazi Germany'sKriegsmarine.[3]
They emigrated to the United States in 1938, settled inVermont in 1942, and performed throughout the country. Baron von Trapp died in 1947. Maria Franziska became anaturalized U.S. citizen in 1948 and lived at her family's lodge inStowe, Vermont. The family continued to tour until their last concert on 26 January 1956,[4] at which time Maria Franziska and her stepmother became lay missionaries inPapua New Guinea where Maria Franziska adopted a son, Kikuli Mwanukuzi.[2][5][6]
From 22 July 2008 to 27 July 2008, she visited her childhood home in Salzburg/Aigen and her birthplace inZell am See.[2][7][8] Accompanying her were her half-brother Johannes and her sister-in-law Erika (Werner's widow). During their visit, the group met withErnst Florian Winter, the husband of her sisterJohanna (1919–1994).
She was the last survivor of the seven original von Trapp children. One of three half-siblings, from her father's second marriage,Rosmarie von Trapp (1929–2022),Eleonore von Trapp (1931–2021), andJohannes von Trapp (born 1939), is still alive, but they were not featured inThe Sound of Music.[9]
Maria Franziska von Trapp died on Tuesday, 18 February 2014, inStowe, Vermont, at the age of 99.[1][2][9][10][11]
Maria Franziska von Trapp, the last surviving sibling of seven brothers and sisters who were portrayed in the Broadway musical and the film 'The Sound of Music,' died on Tuesday at her home in Stowe, Vt. She was 99. Her death was confirmed by her half-brother, Johannes von Trapp.
In 1956 the Trapp Family Singers had toured Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. ... Maria and Rosmarie taught 'the little ones' and tended the sick in villages while, among other chores, Johannes built a church and two schoolhouses. He remained in PNG for four years, Rosmarie for five and Maria for a dedicated 30.
Maria von Trapp, 94, the second eldest daughter, center above, with her brother Johannes von Trapp and their sister-in-law Erika von Trapp, was present at the opening on Friday.
Seventy years after fleeing the Nazis, a 93-year-old woman whose family was immortalized in "The Sound of Music" has returned to Austria to visit her former home.
Maria von Trapp, the last of the singing children immortalized in the movie musical 'The Sound of Music,' died at her Vermont home of natural causes, her half-brother told CNN on Saturday. The native of Austria was 99 and lived in Stowe. She died Tuesday.
The last surviving member of the Trapp Family Singers, the group whose story inspired The Sound of Music, has died at the age of 99, her family say. Maria von Trapp died at her home in Vermont on Tuesday, her brother, Johannes von Trapp, told the Associated Press.
The last surviving member of the famous Trapp Family Singers made famous in The Sound of Music has died at her home in Vermont, aged 99. Von Trapp's brother, Johannes von Trapp, said she died on Tuesday. ...
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