Joel Robert Roesner (1979 - 2024)

Joel Robert Roesner, of Seeley Lake, Montana, joined eternity with our Lord on Jan. 12, 2024, after an admirable four-year struggle with colon cancer. He died at home, with his wife constantly by his side and immediate family surrounding him.

He was 44. Joel was born in Whitefish, Montana, on Nov. 23, 1979, to Quentin and Kristi Roesner, joining his sister, Shani.

He spent his youth in Missoula and Seeley Lake. A cute, fat, round-eyed baby, and a busy little boy, Joel kept his parents on their toes with his energy, curiosity, athletic proclivities, and stubbornness.

In his younger years he enjoyed exploring the outdoors and excelled in various sports. He graduated from Seeley-Swan High School in 1998 and enlisted in the United States Navy. After basic training in Illinois, he was assigned to the USS Carl Vinson as an aviation ordnanceman in late 1998, which was then deployed to the Persian Gulf.

After a six-month stint in the gulf, the Vinson returned to Bremerton, Washington, where Joel was stationed until deployed again in July 2001. In September 2001, just before 9/11, Joel was honorably discharged from service and returned home to Seeley Lake.

After his time in the Navy, Joel was employed for several years by Powder Hounds Construction. Beyond this, he worked various jobs and spent time in Oregon's Willamette Valley in 2011-2012 as a winery cellar hand during harvest.

He returned to his beloved Rocky Mountains after deciding his heart wasn't in Oregon, where he joined the kitchen crew at Double Arrow Resort to eventually become the head chef. Of all his occupational ventures, Joel by far enjoyed cooking the most, and kept working as a chef until his physical condition rendered him unable to.

When he wasn't working, Joel enjoyed snowmobiling, golfing, back country hiking, boating, paddleboarding, homebrewing, cooking, roasting coffee, reloading ammunition, collecting and shooting firearms, and trying to grow the perfect lawn.

For 14 years, from 2003 – 2017, his companion was his loyal German Shepherd, Zeus, who he raised from a puppy. To those who knew him, Joel was adventurous, mischievous, sometimes cantankerous, opinionated, patriotic, hardworking, athletic, funny, and kind at heart.

In April 2016, just a few days after buying his first Harley motorcycle, Joel was involved in a single-person motorcycle accident around Salmon Lake. He fortunately survived the crash but spent time in the ICU with multiple injuries that took months to heal.

Much to the relief of his family, he finally remembered the San Francisco 49ers were not his favorite football team, and he valiantly resisted purchasing another motorcycle.

In August 2016, Joel went on his first date with Jeanette Johnstone, who worked in another department at the Double Arrow Resort. The two dated for almost three years before Joel proposed to her on May 2, 2019 at the infamous Stoller Family Estate tire swing in Dayton, Oregon.

On Oct. 10, 2019, Joel received his stage four cancer diagnosis, and on Oct. 25, 2019, he and Jeanette were married at Mission Bible Fellowship in Seeley Lake. Jeanette has been a Godsend to Joel and his family, committing to marriage under the dark cloud of cancer, and remaining a strong and steadfast wife and partner to Joel up to and beyond his death.

While children were not a part of their story, they did keep a business of up to six ferrets and a German Shepherd puppy, Panzer, in November 2020. Joel was raised with faith in Christ, which was reinforced during his teenage years under the mentorship of then-pastor Greg Layton and Youth for Christ leader, Paul Keller, then solidified after his cancer diagnosis.

Joel was able to share his testimony at Mission Bible Fellowship on Nov. 18, 2023, just two months before he passed. It's agreed that Joel's cancer ordeal brought him back to the fold, closer to God, where he was forged and refined in his last few years, becoming an inspiration to many.

Joel will be lovingly remembered by his devoted wife, Jeanette; his mother and father, Kristi and Quentin Roesner; his father-in-law, Roy Johnstone; his sister, Shani Hodge, brother-in-law, Roger Hodge, and nephew, Oliver; his grandmother, Clarice Brooks; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He joins in heaven his grandfathers, Max Roesner and Robert Brooks, and grandmother, Rose Roesner.

A memorial service will be held at Mission Bible Fellowship in Seeley Lake on Feb. 3, 2024, at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, we know Joel would be pleased if you'd donate to your local shooting range or gun club.