Born on a train en route to Vienna on January 26, 1905, Maria Augusta Kutschera’s anxious entrance into the world set in motion a life full of remarkable and challenging events that would be immortalized on stage and screen. Maria’s mother died when she was only 2 years old and her father left her with an elderly cousin, where she experienced a lonely and strict upbringing.

Surprisingly, Maria grew up as a socialist and atheist who was cynical of all religions, until a chance meeting with a Jesuit priest at her college changed her beliefs and the course of her life. Maria dedicated her life to the convent, but was taken away from the outdoor activities she loved so much. As a result of her lack of fresh air and exercise, her doctor became concerned for her health and the decision was made to send her to the home of retired naval captain, George von Trapp. Her position was not governess to all the children, as the movie portrayed, but specifically to the captain's daughter who was bedridden with rheumatic fever.

The rest is truly history. Maria never returned to the convent and married the Captain on November 26, 1927. This is the story that has been made immortalized by The Sound of Music. Maria von Trapp passed away on March 28, 1987 and is interred in the family cemetery at the Trapp Family Lodge.