Most anyone who was schooled in Fair Haven from the 1960s through the 1990s remembers Mrs. Stout. Mildred Stout. She was a first-grade teacher who had that classic kind teacher demeanor and left her mark on many elementary school students.

But her teachings weren’t limited to Fair Haven, even though it seems that she was always there. Mrs. Stout taught first grade in Little Silver as well.

She passed away on peacefully on March 10 at Atlantic Coast in Lakewood, after succumbing to end-stage dementia. She was 93. And while the disease may have robbed her of many memories, her students have them tucked away in safe keeping for all time. Many spoke of Mrs. Stout on social media back when news of her death hit.

“She was my favorite teacher of all!” said longtime Fair Haven resident Kathy Choma Maselli.

“… My wonderful first grade teacher,” said Fair Havenite Dave Binaco. “I reconnected with her after I became a policeman eighteen years later when doing the bicycle safety program in the Fair Haven Schools.”

“I have so many, many fond memories of my first grade teacher,” John Morty Barnes said.

They remembered. They will continue to remember on Saturday, and thereafter, the years’ worth of teaching moments from Mrs. Stout …

Born in Newark, NJ, Mrs. Stout grew up in Arlington, NJ.  She graduated from Kearny High School, then UNC Greensboro. As a young adult, her family relocated to the Locust section of Middletown. 

A first-grade teacher in Fair Haven and Little Silver for more than 30 years, Mrs. Stout was known to love her family, dog, gardening and gatherings with friends and family. She was an active member of the United Methodist Church of Red Bank, where she sang in the choir. She also sang in the Shrewsbury Chorale and performed duets throughout the county.

She was married to her husband, Robert W. Stout, for more than 50 years.

Mildred is predeceased by: her parents, Mary and Henry Palmer; her sister, Ruth Bell; her husband, Bob; and her daughter, Mary Elizabeth.

She is survived by: her children, Richard Stout and partner Victoria Stewart, of Hague, NY, daughter, Melanie and son-in-law Kerwin Lanz, of Farmingdale; and five grandchildren, Ian, Rory, Wesley, Hillary and Abbey.

In lieu of flowers, donations will be accepted for the scholarship assistance program at the United Methodist Church of Red Bank, 247 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701.