He was born Oct. 26, 1936, in Middlebury to Mark and Hazel (Lantz) Hout. He married Roberta L. Mitterling on July 1, 1956, in Middlebury. She died in August 2001.

Mr. Hout is survived by one son, Ron L. (Judy) Hout of Goshen; two daughters, Jeanine L. (Frederick) Emch of St. Louis, Mo., and Debra K. Mohler of Edwardsburg; four grandsons; one brother, William Hout of Houston, Texas; and two sisters, Caroline "Sue" (Robert) Pletcher of Wakarusa and Barbara Martin of Apex, N.C.

Friends may call from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St., Elkhart, and one hour prior to Friday's 1 p.m. funeral service at Zion Lutheran Church in Bristol. Burial will follow in Adamsville Cemetery.

Mr. Hout was a 1954 graduate of Middlebury High School, where he was the sports team manager for the "Middies." He worked for NIBCO as a maintenance clerk for more than 45 years, retiring in 1999. He also was the caretaker for NIBCO's "Old Mill" property in Michigan and was active there until his death.

Mr. Hout was involved in Scouting during the 1960s and 1970s and was a Boy Scout leader while living in Middlebury. He was an avid train buff who amassed a collection of trains and railroad memorabilia over the years. Mr. Hout was an active volunteer for the Elkhart NYC Railroad Museum and the Middlebury Historical Museum and enjoyed train spotting"whenever he could.

In March 2005, he and several other train buffs took a trip to China, where historic steam locomotives were still actively being used on China's national railway. This trip was featured in a Truth article on June 1, 2005. Additionally, Mr. Hout was the "official" train whistle blower for the Elkhart Express basketball team home games. He enjoyed camping and fishing and was an active member of the Zion Lutheran Church in Bristol.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to the Elkhart NYC Train Museum or the Middlebury Historical Museum. Visit www.billingsfuneralhome.com to send online condolences.