Maria Agatha Franziska Gobertina von Trapp (28 September 1914 – 18 February 2014) was the second-oldest daughter of

Georg von Trapp Georg Ludwig Ritter von Trapp (4 April 1880 – 30 May 1947) was an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Navy who became the patriarch of the Trapp Family, Trapp Family Singers. Trapp was the most successful Austro-Hungarian submarine commander of ...

and his first wife, Agathe Whitehead von Trapp. She was a member of the

Trapp Family Singers The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) was a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the in ...

, whose lives inspired the musical and film ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

''. She was portrayed by

Heather Menzies Heather Margaret Brotherston Menzies Urich (December 3, 1949 – December 24, 2017) was a Canadian actress known for her roles as Louisa von Trapp in the 1965 film ''The Sound of Music'' and Jessica 6 in the TV series ''Logan's Run''. Earl ...

as the character "Louisa". She died at age 99, and was the last surviving sibling portrayed in the film.

Biography

She was born on 28 September 1914 in

Zell am See Zell am See is the administrative capital of the Zell am See District in the Austrian state of Salzburg (state), Salzburg. Located in the Kitzbühel Alps, the town is an important tourist destination due to its Ski resort, ski resorts and shorel ...

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

, then part of

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

. Her siblings were Rupert von Trapp (1911–1992), Agathe von Trapp (1913–2010), Werner von Trapp (1915–2007), Hedwig von Trapp (1917–1972), Johanna von Trapp (1919–1994), and

Martina von Trapp The Trapp Family (also known as the von Trapp Family) was a singing group formed from the family of former Austrian naval commander Georg von Trapp. The family achieved fame in their original singing career in their native Austria during the in ...

(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 1959

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

musical and the 1965

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning Best Picture ''

''. Von Trapp sang second soprano in the choir, together with her sister

. The family fled Austria after the German annexation of Austria, fearing reprisals resulting from declining to sing at

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

's birthday party and Georg von Trapp's refusal to accept a commission in Nazi Germany's ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

''.

They emigrated to the United States in 1938, settled in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

in 1942, and performed throughout the country. Baron von Trapp died in 1947. Maria Franziska became a

naturalized U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constit ...

in 1948 and lived at her family's lodge in

Stowe, Vermont Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census. The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski fa ...

. The family continued to tour until their last concert on 26 January 1956, at which time Maria Franziska and her stepmother became lay missionaries in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

where Maria Franziska adopted a son, Kikuli Mwanukuzi. From 22 July 2008 to 27 July 2008, she visited her childhood home in Salzburg/Aigen and her birthplace in

. Accompanying her were her half-brother Johannes and her sister-in-law Erika (

Werner Werner may refer to: People * Werner (name), origin of the name and people with this name as surname and given name Fictional characters * Werner (comics), a German comic book character * Werner Von Croy, a fictional character in the ''Tomb Rai ...

's widow). During their visit, the group met with

Ernst Florian Winter Ernst Florian Winter (16 December 1923 – 16 April 2014) was an American historian and political scientist, the first director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna after World War II, and chairman of the International Council of the Austrian Serv ...

, the husband of her sister

Johanna Johanna is a feminine name, a variant form of Joanna that originated in Latin in the Middle Ages, including an -h- by analogy with the Latin masculine name Johannes. The original Greek form ''Iōanna'' lacks a medial /h/ because in Greek Spiritus ...

(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), and Johannes von Trapp (born 1939), is still alive, but they were not featured in ''The Sound of Music''. Maria Franziska von Trapp died on Tuesday, 18 February 2014, in

, at the age of 99.

References

External links

Maria Franziska von Trapp besucht Salzburg (derStandard.at)

Maria von Trapp in Salzburg (kurier.at)

Living in Stowe, Vermont

Listing from Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vermont

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trapp, Maria Franziska von 1914 births 2014 deaths Emigrants from Austria after the Anschluss to the United States People from Zell am See 20th-century Austrian women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers Maria Franziska Austrian nobility Austrian people of English descent Roman Catholic missionaries in Papua New Guinea Austrian Roman Catholic missionaries Female Roman Catholic missionaries Austrian expatriates in Papua New Guinea Naturalized citizens of the United States People from the Duchy of Salzburg