Dr. Frank Palmer Stout

Dr. Frank Palmer Stout
Fayetteville—Dr. Frank Palmer Stout, whose legacy will live on across this community in the form of thriving businesses, gleaming buildings, generous philanthropy and in the picture-perfect smiles of thousands of orthodontic patients, died Saturday, March 6. He was 77.
Frank Stout was a man of vision coupled with an inimitable work ethic that he inherited from both his father and grandfather. That combination of dreaming and diligence would lead to a lifetime of success. A lifelong Fayetteville resident, he was born on May 8, 1943 to Eudora and Joe Wiley Stout. He was a member of the Fayetteville High School Class of 1961, where he was known as "Flashy Frankie" as a standout on the football field and on the oval of the running track.
An avid sportsman all his life, he was skiing with friends at Lake Waccamaw when a pretty girl standing on a pier caught his eye. Carolyn Hardee Stout would go on to become the love of his life, his best friend and confidant, and his wife of 59 years.
Though his father had established a foundation in real estate development, Frank Stout was inspired to pursue a career in dentistry. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry, then earned a Master of Dental Surgery degree in orthodontics from Boston University in 1970. He returned to Fayetteville, where he practiced orthodontics from 1970 until his retirement in 1998. He turned the business over to partner and longtime friend Dr. Rick Booth but kept his own license current to the end.
Alongside his orthodontic practice, he partnered with his father from 1970 until Joe Stout's death in 1988. Together, they expanded their real estate base, creating Bordeaux Motor Inn and Convention Center, the Bordeaux Recreation Center and the 10-story Apartel on Bragg Boulevard. He was named Methodist University's 2007 Businessman of the Year and was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine in 2016, the highest civilian honor in the state. He served on the Board of Trustees at Methodist University and was an active member of the American Dental Association for 41 years and the American Association of Orthodontics for 37 years. The Stouts were longtime members of St. John's Episcopal Church.
In 1996, he and Carolyn made a major gift to Methodist University that led to the construction of Joe W. Stout Hall, named in memory of his father, which today houses the university's admissions office.
He and his younger son, Cameron "Cam" Wiley Stout, would go on to transform Stout Properties into a debt-free, commercial real estate development and management company that continues to benefit the community to this day.
Dr. Stout is survived by wife Carolyn, son Cam and daughter-in-law Kelly Craver Stout, as well as the greatest joys of his life, grandchildren Craver Wiley Stout and Cameron Madison Stout. He was preceded in death by his older son, Frank "Frankie" Palmer Stout Jr.
Due to COVID-19, the family will have a private memorial service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Methodist University, 5400 Ramsey St., Fayetteville, NC 28311 https://donate.methodist.edu/
Online condolences may be sent to www.jerniganwarren.com
Arrangements by Jernigan-Warren Funeral Home, 545 Ramsey St. Fayetteville, NC 28301