Obituary for William M. Stout Jr.

William “Bill” M. Stout, Jr, 91, formerly of Emmaus, died on Wednesday, June 27, 2018 in The Lutheran Home at Topton. He was the husband of the late Gertrude “Trudy” (Ettinger) Stout. Born on March 15, 1927 in Norristown, PA, William was a son of the late William M., Sr., and Verda L. (Oelshlager) Stout. After graduating from Mercersburg Academy in 1945, Bill entered military service in Korea with the United States Army armored tank division. After his dedicated service to his country, Bill completed his studies at Penn State University in 1952, graduating with two degrees; one in Animal Husbandry, and the other in Entomology.

Bill served in a variety of responsible positions in the dairy industry for nearly four decades. Chief among these was as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Lehigh Valley Cooperative Farms.  He oversaw the merger of Lehigh and Inter-State Milk Producers’ Cooperative, becoming the special projects manager of the new Atlantic Dairy Cooperative, from which he retired in 1989. Bill retired to his cherished farm in Coopersburg, PA, which included his well-loved pets, a horse, a llama, two newfoundland dogs and cats. Bill and Trudy enjoyed restoring their farm house and creating beautiful gardens, which included a Koi pond. After years of family camping vacations at the New Jersey Shore and extensive travel to the Great National Parks out west, Bill and Trudy spent their final vacations in foreign travel to England, Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

He is survived by his by his daughters Linda S. Rooney, and her husband, David Ronk, Peggy L. Reed, Cindy L. Kubiet, and her husband, Lewis, and Judy A. Mauro, and her husband, Fred; a sister, Edith Hardy; a brother, David; and sister-in-law, Katherine. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Derek, David, Aaron, Michael, Christina, and Rachel and four great-grandchildren. In addition to his wife, Trudy,  and parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Walter, his sister and brother-in-law Dorothy and James Poust, and brother-in-law Charles "Ray" Hardy.

A funeral service to celebrate Bill's life will be held on Tuesday, July 3, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in Deibert Hall, located in the Breidegam Center Building on the campus of The Lutheran Home at Topton, 1 S. Home Avenue, Topton, PA, with Reverend Carl R. Schmoyer officiating. Burial, with military honors provided by The Pennsylvania Military Honor Guard, will follow in Whitemarsh Memorial Park, Ambler. Relatives and friends are invited to a visitation on Tuesday morning from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. in Deibert Hall.

The family requests contributions be made in Bill's memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, Delaware Valley Chapter, 399 Market Street, Suite 102, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

Ludwick Funeral Homes, Inc., Topton, is in charge of arrangements. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.Ludwickfh.com.