Miryam passed away peacefully on August 16, 2026 in Clovis, CA surrounded by her beloved children and family members. Miryam was born on June 6, 1936 in Bogota D.C. Colombia. In 2017, she immigrated to the United States after the passing of her beloved husband, Augusto Gutierrez Penagos.
Myriam devoted much of her life to the art of dance. In 1962, she founded the Myriam Guerrero School of Ballet in Bogotá, beginning a remarkable teaching journey, nurturing new generations of dancers in Colombia. Her passion, discipline, and profound love for ballet helped shape and strengthen classical dance in her country. For Myriam, dance was much more than movement¬—it was an expression of beauty, sensitivity, and the elevation of the spirit. She was also a music lover, especially for the classical genre.
Myriam was a devoted member of the Theosophical Society and the AMHA Foundation for many years, where she shared her deep love for spirituality, knowledge, culture, and the human spirit.
She is survived by her three children, Juan Carlos Gutierrez and wife Maria Claudia Peña, her daughter Ximena Arosteguy and husband John, daughter Ana Cristina Gutierrez, and four grandchildren; Jaime Arias Gutierrez, Nicole Curwen-Reed, Andrew Arosteguy and Nicolas Gutierrez Gamez.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Miryam’s memory to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or American Humane Society.
Visitation will be held at Whitehurst Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral Home, 836 E. Nees Ave., Fresno, CA 93720, US, on August 27, 2026, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm, followed by the Recitation of the Holy Rosary at the same location on August 27, 2026, from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 929 Harvard Ave, Clovis, CA 93612, US, on August 28, 2026, at 11:00 am.
