Jean Mitchell Stout

Jean Mitchell Stout of Kingsport, TN passed away on April 19, 2018 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. Jean was born on January 29, 1936 and grew up in the Knoxville area. She graduated from Bob Jones University and moved to Los Angeles with some of her best college friends where they taught elementary school. After several years she returned to Tennessee with her first husband, Ken, eventually settling in Kingsport. She opened the YumYum Tree gift shop and, after Ken's untimely death, took the position of Preschool Director at First Baptist Church Kingsport until she retired. She and Jim were married in 1996 after he moved from Atlanta to Kingsport to be near his family.

Jean was a true Christian and was an active member of First Baptist Church Kingsport, where she belonged to the Friendship Sunday School Class. She was quick to make friends and made a point of keeping up with those she befriended. She was always smiling and laughing, even when she was overcome by the dreaded illness that took her life. Jean will be remembered by her family and friends as being an inspiration in that regard. She loved all of God's creatures, particularly her many pets and her flower gardens that gave her great joy. She was very close to her large extended family in the Knoxville area and never missed an opportunity to go there for special occasions. She will truly be missed by her family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Eula Fennell Mitchell and Walter Burton Mitchell; brother, C.B. Mitchell; and her first husband, Kenneth Thornton.

Jean is survived by her husband, James Stout III; her children, Carrie Jean Thornton Meadows (Andy) and Casey Mitchell Thornton (Marjorie); and her sisters, Lillian Mitchell Blake and Betty Mitchell Blake.

A brief graveside service for family and close friends will be held at Happy Valley Memorial Park in Elizabethton, TN on Monday, April 23, 2018 at 11:00 am. Those wishing to attend will meet at the cemetery. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, April 23, 2018 at 2:00 pm in the Sanctuary at First Baptist Church Kingsport with Dr. Marvin Cameron officiating. A reception will follow afterwards in the new Atrium at the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the First Baptist Church Kingsport Preschool Program, 200 W. Church St., Kingsport, TN 37660.

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