Melitta "Meli" Stoutt

Melitta "Meli" Stoutt was born January 20,1947, in Heidelberg, Germany. She lived most of her life in Maryville, Tennessee, except for a period of time in the 1960s during which she lived and worked in Washington, D.C., as an evidence processor for the FBI.

Meli enjoyed sharing stories from her time there, including the day her wool skirt was ruined by tear gas as she walked through an active protest in the city, and the buzz in the office the day the weapon used to assassinate Martin Luther King Jr. arrived at her workplace.

After returning home to Maryville, Meli spent the majority of her career as an administrative support assistant in the Agricultural Economics and Resource Development Department at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. A woman of deep and unwavering faith, Meli was very active at Fairview Methodist Church. There she taught children's Sunday School for more than 50 years, becoming a beloved member of her church community and connecting with multiple generations of church kids.

Meli is also remembered by many for the hundreds of birthday cards she sent without fail to her immediate family, cousins and their children, her uncles and aunts, and others. This became a personal ministry for Meli, bringing smiles and fond remembrances year after year.

Meli is preceded in death by her sister, Helen Stoutt Marshall, and her parents, the late Paul Kenneth Stoutt, a World War II veteran, and Hilda Katharina Dörsam Stoutt. Meli's survivors include her brother, Ralph Stoutt, who is married to Lucy Stoutt, niece Tina Byrd and family, and many extended family members she enjoyed spending time with on a regular basis.

Meli's family will honor her in a private graveside service. A public memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to her church's Children’s Ministry: Fairview Methodist Church, 2508 Old Niles Ferry Road, Maryville 37801. Smith Funeral and Cremation Service, Maryville, 865-983-1000. www.SmithFuneralandCremation.com