Michael A. Gebhardt

Michael A. Gebhardt passed away on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. Mike was the dear brother of Mark Gebhardt; beloved uncle of Todd (Jennifer) Gebhardt and Julie (Matthew) Livingstone; devoted great-uncle of Devin and Quinn; a cherished friend to many.

Michael "Mike" lived an adventurous life and loved to share his life experiences with everyone. After growing up in St. Louis, MO, Mike proudly joined the Army in 1967. Mike was a proud helicopter gunner who was shot down in combat and was hospitalized for a year for recovery and rehabilitation. After serving in the Vietnam War, he was honorably discharged and continued to share his Army experiences the rest of his life.

One of Mike’s favorite places was Manhattan where he became employed as an Electrical Lighting and Scenery Engineer for On Broadway and Off Broadway shows. As a supplemental source of income, Mike completed schooling and became a paramedic in New York City. The stories from this chapter of his life had many similarities to the stories from Vietnam. Mike loved to share the published book, Paramedic by Paul D. Shapiro. Paul worked with Mike as a paramedic. This book serves as a documentary for Mike’s life and other paramedics on the perilous streets of New York City.

Mike returned to St. Louis in the Mid-1980’s where he had several bartending jobs he loved. Because of his gift of conversation, many of his customers became close friends. He was always ready to share a scotch and cigarette!

In an effort to relive his days in New York City, Mike was drawn to living in the lofts on Washington Avenue. He loved having the sights and sounds of a city surround him. When you entered his apartment, it was like entering a museum filled with his eclectic collections of vintage Hollywood movie posters, his personal library of over 1,000 books, and collection of Viking, firefighter, gladiator, and Star Wars helmets and headpieces (just to name a few). You couldn’t miss the pool table, antique barber chair, antique slot machine, and typewriter. Mike’s most loved companion was his cat, Stripe, who was in hiding amongst all of his other treasures.

Christmas for our family will never be the same. Mike loved searching for crazy, off the wall gifts to make everyone laugh. You never knew what the t-shirts would say or what noises the stuffed animals for Devin and Quinn would make. A few of the top classics were Cindy’s cowboy boot birdhouse, Todd’s bizarre rocks and crazy rooster teapot, Julie’s license plate purse, “Jenna’s" collectible currency glued to a poster board (he always called Jen, "Jenna"), or Matt’s collection of German beer steins. While he always loved receiving Tupperware and T.V.’s, we could never think of unique gifts for Mike that would ever compare to the gifts he purchased for all of us, but that didn’t matter to him. He just loved to give!

Mike will be greatly missed by all friends and family members who loved him!

Visitation will be Thursday, March 9, from 5-8pm at Hoffmeister Colonial Mortuary, 6464 Chippewa 63109. The Funeral Service will be Friday, March 10am at the funeral home. A Committal Service with Full Military Honors will immediately follow at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

Please leave a favorite memory of Michael for his family to cherish at the "Add a Memory" link below.