Leaders We Lost in 2023: Miki Gudermuth

Editor’s note: As part of a year-in-review series, the Southeast Missourian is remembering some of the notable community leaders or public servants who died in 2023.

Miki Gudermuth

A Southeast Missouri trailblazer for those with disabilities died Sept. 6.

MaryAnn "Miki" Gudermuth founded SEMO Alliance for Disability Independence in 1993, where she served as executive director. Gudermuth was diagnosed with polio as a baby and spent much of her childhood in hospitals, undergoing various surgeries on her hips, legs and feet.

At SADI, she worked to make the region more accessible for those facing physical and developmental barriers. She served on several local, state and national boards aimed at helping individuals with disabilities.

According to her obituary, she also received the Easter Seals Personal Achievement Award in 1994, Zonta Woman of Achievement Award in 2007, Saint Francis Disability Leadership Award in 2012 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from Missouri State Independent Living Council for Advocacy and Leadership in Independent Living in 2013. She was named a Difference Maker by B Magazine in 2020.

Gudermuth was also an art lover. She began drawing and painting as a child. She taught art classes at a community college in Tennessee, and opened a business called Pawtraits by Miki. In 1987, she was honored with the Otto F. Dingeldein Award, a local recognition for outstanding achievement in the arts.

"(Miki) was a firecracker and the world is a little dimmer without her," said Rachel Stone, SADI's quality assurance specialist. "I always think of how much passion Miki had for helping people. She believed everyone had the right to live their life to the fullest."