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Sister Maria Root, O.C.D., of the Carmelite Monastery in Beacon, died Sept. 22 at Fishkill Nursing Home in Beacon. She was 85. Before entering the monastery, she served as secretary to Maria von Trapp of Stowe, Vt., whose family inspired the musical "The Sound of Music." Born in Boston, she entered the Carmelite Monastery in Williston, Vt., in 1952, taking the religious name Sister Maria of the Cross. She professed final vows in 1954. She is survived by two brothers, Stephen and Howard. A Funeral Mass was offered Sept. 27 at the Carmelite Monastery in Beacon, with burial in Ascension Cemetery in Airmont.
