She was born on December 16th, 1936 in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Maria was predeceased by her parents, Cornelis and Adriana Pont and her sister Nel Struijk.
She is survived by her husband Joseph M. Callewaert, her three children Alain, Michael and Bernadette, her ten grandchildren and her sister Corry Schoonenberg.
In her younger years she was a ballet teacher and a model. She also loved to play the guitar and sing.
In the early sixties she and her husband, born in Belgium, decided to emigrate to the United States. They settled in Upstate New York. Maria instantly fell in love with the country an all its opportunities it had to offer.
It was her husband who discovered Pensacola Beach in the sixties while travelling for his work. He told his wife: you are going to love this place!
And from that year on the Callewaert family spent their holidays on the beautiful beaches of Pensacola.
In 1992 Joseph and Maria moved to Gulf Breeze to retire. Maria was home. She loved going to the beaches and she enjoyed looking at the sea until her last days.
She also had a passionate love for animals. Especially cats. She took care of many stray cats on Gulf Breeze. People called her the cat lady.
Her family feels a great loss but are thankful for all the years they had with her.
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