Maria Rothmann-Craig was born on July 28, 1939, in Fulda, Germany. Her parents were Otto Rothmann and Marguerite Rothmann (nee Fortnagel).

In 1961,at the age of 21, Maria emigrated to the United States, arriving first in New Jersey where she would work as an au pair and a nanny before traveling across the country. She found herself in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she met Jefferson W. Craig, a Navy Chief Petty Officer. They were married on December 3, 1962. Together they lived in Hawaii, Spain, and Indiana before retiring in Norfolk, Virginia. They would later embark on an adventure by moving to Ajijic in Jalisco, Mexico, where they would live for several years before returning to the United States and settling in Beeville, Texas. Their final years were spent living with their daughter in Chesapeake, Virginia.

Maria was predeceased by husband, Jefferson, in September 2021. She is survived by a daughter, Julia Craig Whalen and her husband, Timothy, of Chesapeake, Virginia. and a son, Charles Edmund Craig of Sahuarita, Arizona.  She is also survived by her younger sister, Elfriede Ruhl of Schwanheim, Frankfurt, Germany.

A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated 11:00 a.m. Tuesday November 26, 2024 at St. Paul Catholic Church, 522 High Street, Portsmouth.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to Sister Kitten Animal Rescue, P.O. Box 1872, Maggie Valley, NC. 28751 (www. sisterkitten.org), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping animals in western North Carolina.

Condolences may be registered at BWFosterFuneralHome.com