When she died in 1965, the obituary of Bernice Guth Bast listed 4 sons: Kernon, Charles, John, and Robert. In 1955 sister Carol Guth married Robert Aceto. In 1969 Carol married her sister's widower John Bast. In 1970 Robert Aceto married in Florida. In the obituary of Carol, it identifies one daughter and five sons, but no names are given. That obit also suggests a "blended" family.

Birth records in Racine County (Eau Claire for Robert) show that the mother of Charles, John, and Robert Bast was Carol Jean Guth! Only the record of Kernon Bast shows Bernice Guth as the mother! In addition, two more birth records are found in Racine for Carol Guth: Connie Lee Bast (1957) and Robert Jon Bast (1959).

In 1957-1959 Carol was still married to Aceto and living in Racine. In 1957-1959 Bernice was still married to Bast and living in Eau Claire. My best explanation for these data is that shortly after marrying in 1969, John Bast and Carol Guth adopted each other's children. Adoption records are not open for genealogical research, but it is understood that they cause a new birth record to be issued. This cross adoption theory would explain the name of Carol as mother for Charles, John, and Robert Bast. It would also explain John and Carol as parents on two children born in Racine while John was still married to Bernice and living in Eau Claire, and Carol was still married to Aceto and living in Racine. It would also explain why no children were found for Aceto (he is still alive, so no obit).

If this theory is valid it remains only to explain why Kernon was not adopted. I suspect this is because he would have been 21 years old and no longer subject to his father's decisions. At the time of the 1969 marriage, Charles was also older than 18, but was adopted.