Maria Luise Freifrau von Braun (née von Quistorp; born 10 June 1928, Berlin) is the widow of rocketry pioneer Wernher von Braun. Her late husband led America to the Moon while serving as the Marshall Space Flight Center’s first director from July 1, 1960 until January 27, 1970.
During his stay at Fort Bliss, von Braun mailed a marriage proposal to 18-year-old Maria Luise von Quistorp, his cousin on his mother's side. On 1 March 1947, having recei...
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Maria Luise Freifrau von Braun (née von Quistorp; born 10 June 1928, Berlin) is the widow of rocketry pioneer Wernher von Braun. Her late husband led America to the Moon while serving as the Marshall Space Flight Center’s first director from July 1, 1960 until January 27, 1970.
During his stay at Fort Bliss, von Braun mailed a marriage proposal to 18-year-old Maria Luise von Quistorp, his cousin on his mother's side. On 1 March 1947, having received permission to go back to Germany and return with his bride, he married her in a Lutheran church in Landshut, Germany. He and his bride and his father and mother returned to New York on 26 March 1947.
On 9 December 1948, the von Brauns' first daughter, Iris Careen, was born at Fort Bliss Army Hospital. The von Brauns eventually had two more children, Margrit Cécile on 8 May 1952 and Peter Constantine on 2 June 1960.
Maria was widowed on 16 June 1977 when Wernher von Braun died in Alexandria, Virginia, at the age of 65.
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