There are officially 11 kids in our family; I'll get the "official" part later. My parents, Gerald Eccles Stout and Jerralyn Rigby, had three biological sons and adopted eight children. My parents were married on April 24, 1964 and were later divorced. Also, I am going to write about each of my siblings in birth order, rather than the order we joined our family.
Jason Gerald Stout. Jason is the oldest child born to my parents on August 7, 1965 in Bountiful, Utah. Jason is married to Kathleen Jenkins. Jason and Kathy have three children: Broc (Tabi), Erin, and Lizzie. He is the grandpa to Broc and Tali's two children, Waylon and Weston. Jason is a gifted woodworker, can rhyme about anything, and the leader of the many Denver Bronco fans in our family. Jason is 10 years older than me, so my memories of him are mostly his big teenage hair, dating Kathy, visiting his early home in West Bountiful, his distaste for anything with onions, and time spent in Peterson at mom's with his kids. Whenever I see Jas, he say, "Well hi, Mindy" in the nicest most welcoming voice. I don't know why, but his voice reminds me of home.
Angela Stout. Angie is the oldest sister and the first adopted child in our family. She was born April 3, 1971 in Murray, Utah. Her race is Native American - Navajo and Apache. Angie is married to Mark Hatch and they have three children: Joshua, Hayden, and Kortnee. Angie is a trained cosmetologist, and although hasn't worked in the field in a long time, has given a lot of free haircuts to our family. Angie is mild mannered, laughs at anything, enjoys a good solo night at the movies, and loves her dogs. Growing up, I think pretty much idolized Ang. She was on the drill team, so pretty, and had the best clothes. I remember dragging the "vard" (Washington Blvd in Ogden) with her and her friends and she made me duck because I was too young to pick up the boys. I didn't care, it was maybe the most rebellious thing I'd ever done and I was hanging out with the big girls. When she laughs, it is something to behold; she literally laughs until she cries. Now, I idolize her because she can calm a room, is a great mom, works so hard, and loves her family more than anything.
Marc Eccles Stout. Marc was born on May 28, 1972 in El Paso, Texas and adopted in the spring of 1977 when he was 5-years old. Marc was the first adopted son to our family and was Mexican American. Marc was married to Christine Brooks and they had two children, Taylor and Jordan. Christie brought her daughter, Jaime into their marriage, and Jaime has a baby named Hudson. Growing up, I remember Marc always reading, exploring, and loved watching tv and movies. Marc always liked being a part of the party and hanging out with friends and family. One of my most favorite memories of Marc, is sharing our birthday lunches. Because our birthdays are in May, just 3 days apart, and right by memorial day weekend, we always had our birthday lunches with mom together. Marc passed away of the Covid-19 virus on July 7, 2020. We will miss him.
Evonne Stout. Evonne was born on August 19, 1972 and adopted from Portland, Oregon when she was 9-years old. Evonne came to our family the summer before fourth grade and, from what I understand, she was perhaps first black student that ever attended to Morgan School District. Evonne has two children, Marshay and Latrey. Evonne is a gifted writer, has the best memory for fun facts, is so friendly, and a funny story teller. She had tons of friends and could make anyone laugh. Growing up, Evonne loved fashionable clothes, sparkly jewelry, and bright lipstick. I remember Evonne and I telling stories late into the night and walking to Hinds for treats, like the 1cent Bingo candies and Chick-O-Sticks. I remember that she only chewed a half a stick of gum, saving the other half for later. Unfortunately, I have lost touch with Evonne in our adult years. I hope to reconnect with her someday. Our relationship is one that I miss and a void I'd like to fill in this life.
Adam Woodruff Stout. Adam was born to my parents on November 7, 1972. My mom refers to Adam's birth as nothing short of miraculous. Mom had several late miscarriages when she got pregnant with Adam a new procedure had come out. The doctors "sewed" Adam into the womb and he made it to term and a live birth. Adam married Veronica Smith (divorced) and they had six children together: Emily (Kade Dalton), Molly, Max, Holden, Bailey, and Harley. He was the grandfather to Asher and Tanner, Emily's kids. Adam liked to ride motorcycles, golf, and go on cruises. He liked a soda with ice and all kinds of cheese, the funkier the better. It was very uncommon for us to have snacks and chips growing up, it was a special treat. One time we had a bag of chips to have with our bologna sandwiches and we were all fighting over who got the chips. Adam, being the funny guy, grabbed the chips and smashed the whole bag into tiny crumbs. We were all so mad, especially Evonne, it was not funny then, but looking back... it's hilarious. Adam passed away on August 14, 2017 from a heart attack. We miss him.
Malynda Lee Stout. Then there is me, Mindy. I was born in Seoul, Korea on May 25, 1975 and adopted when I was 11-months old. I just got my DNA results back and I'm definitely Korean and that's it. I am married to Todd Tolbert and we have three kids: Kelsie, Clark, and Zack. I will probably be most remembered as a child for my famous fits and my temper. I mean, I can throw a fit! As an adult, I'll probably be remembered as the bossy one. I get it done though.
Katherine Marie Stout. Kathy was born November 1, 1977 from Torreon, Mexico. She was married to Aaron Page and they had a son Austin together. Aaron brought his two daughters, Kate and Laura to their marriage. Unfortunately, Aaron passed away on March 20, 2020 from a heart attack. Growing up, my mom called Kathy her "sanity." Kathy was easygoing, satisfied with anything, and quiet peacemaker. She has the funniest little giggle and, even as an adult, is just easy to please. Kathy likes to have something to look forward to, whether it's a service event for her "Page that Gives" orgnization, a family party, a trip, or even a dinner plan. She loves to go to Peterson to see mom and and never misses a family party. Kathy likes to go to movies, explore her city, and go on short adventures. I don't think Kathy likes change. She has had the same job for many years, drives a car until it literally dies, still goes by the same childhood nickname, and never orders anything besides a turkey sandwich from Subway. She has friends in all arenas of life and treasures relationships.
Daniel Thomas Stout. Danny was born on October 9, 1978; a Mexican American from Loredo, Texas. Danny married Shannon Wardell and they have four children: Chez, Kenadee, Abbee, and Cruz. Danny is a quiet, strong, hardworking guy. Growing up Danny was our little athlete. He played soccer and football. Mom still refers to Dan as "such a good boy." I definitely think he is mom's favorite (he knows it and so does everyone else). Mom used to buy him a cheeseburger for every touch down. After the games, we'd go to lunch and we'd all get a kids' meal and Dan would get a triple patty bacon burger, large fries, and an ice cream. Danny doesn't say too much and is pretty patient. However, don't get him too mad because it's reported that when he blows, he blows! Danny is accepting of everyone, he's easy to get along with, and everyone likes him. One little quirky thing about Dan growing up (not sure if it's the same now), but Danny loves the feel of soft clothing and soft fabric. He would go the store and pick out a shirt based on how it felt before how it looked.
Kristen Eleen Stout. Kristen was born in North Carolina on June 30, 1980. Kristen is multi-racial, mostly Black and Caucasian. One cool thing is that she grew up not knowing the ethnicity of her birth father. Just a couple of years ago she did an Ancestry DNA test and the results not only identified the race of her birth father, but led her to contact her birth sister. It has really helped her find her identity and is a very cool story (maybe the whole story will come out in my book someday). Kristen is married to Aric Spainhower and they have one son, Strider. Kristen was such a cute baby, she had curly hair and a little pop belly. She liked to run around without a shirt so she could be like Danny, and her little belly would hang out over her diaper. That is how she ended up with the name Buddha Belly, and she still answers to it today. Kristen is hard worker and can keep up with anyone. She is the most determined and fierce out of all of us. If I'm ever alone in a dark alley, I'd call Kristen first. On the other hand, she is the most maternal of all the girls. She's a great mommy, baby sitter, and best baby holder around.
Ana Louise Stout. Ana, the baby, was born on November 8, 1982 in Arizona. She is multi-racial, mostly Black and Caucasian. Ana has one son, Gabe. Ana embraces her role as the baby of the family. She calls mom every day; she still can do the whiny voice to get what she wants; and still likes to twirl to show off a new dress. Ana grew up in mom's pocket, she went everywhere with her. Being mom's little shadow means she also grew a very special relationship with our mom's parents, Grandma and Grandpa Rigby. Ana likes all the girly things: shopping, jewelry, make-up, and sparkly clothes. I think she would wear a tiara to work if she could (maybe she does). I remember her singing in Sunshine Generation, high school choir, and at family events. Poor Ana always had terrible allergies. She would have red swollen eyes all summer long and when she sneezed it was everywhere, and by everywhere I mean an explosion of snot. Don't worry, she learned to sneeze and now probably has the best etiquette of all. Ana is very compassionate and get emotionally invested with others easily. She has a big heart, big spirit, and big dreams.
Finally, when I said I'd get back to having "officially" 11 kids, what I really mean is that there are 11 of us that can be traced in family history or official state records. But our family is also made up of others who are in our hearts and minds official brothers and sisters. First, our Navajo sister Pearl Spencer. Pearl lived with us in high school as a part of the Native American host program our church sponsored in the 1970s. I don't remember Pearl with a great amount of detail as a young child, but she will always be the oldest sister. She lives in the Salt Lake Valley with her family now and comes to mom's for family gatherings. We love to see her. Next, is Jonathon Fuller. Jon is our Costa Rican foster brother who lived with us all through his high school years. Jon liked to listen to loud music and lift weights to stay fit. Jon graduated from high school in Morgan and then joined the US Navy. He was killed in Costa Rica on May 5, 1989 at 27 years old on a trip to reunite with his birth sister. We also had other foster siblings, Tammie and her brother, Chris, and other children who stayed for shorter times while their families worked on things.
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