William Lee Stoianoff

William Lee ("Uncle Bill") Stoianoff of Missoula, Montana, passed away peacefully on February 24, 2026, in Phlu Ta Luang, Thailand, at the age of 77. Born on May 2, 1948, in Missoula to Michael L. Stoianoff, Sr. and Lena "Lee" (Miller) Stoianoff, he was a beloved friend to many and a legendary member of the community.

He attended Roosevelt Grade School and Hellgate High School in Missoula and Montana State University in Bozeman. He went on to pursue several businesses, vocations, and hobbies.

He is survived by his sister, Mary (Philip) Dolberg, and his niece, Suzanne Dolberg, along with too many friends and acquaintances to name. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Michael L. Stoianoff, Jr.

Cremation has taken place and funeral services were held in Ban Chang, Thailand. A memorial celebration will be held on August 8 from 1 to 5 PM, at the gazebo west of the Historical Museum, Fort Missoula. A main dish and some beer will be supplied. Please bring side dishes, drinks, coolers, and lawn chairs. Feel free to wear a Hawaiian shirt in honor of Bill, or drive over in an antique car!

Bill was more than a Missoulian; he was an institution. Most folks know him as the proprietor of the first head shop in Montana, the Joint Effort. The 20-year-old Stoianoff was initially in partnership with Brian Murray and Larry Burton (hence the name "Joint Effort"), and other business partners included Tony Hoyt and John Steffens. The business sold tapes, records, incense, rugs, posters, and "tobacco" smoking accoutrements. The business would have multiple locations over the years, including the Hip Strip and the 1918 Brooks Street locale. In later years Bill would become the sole owner and the shop would branch out into selling toys, cookbooks, and hot sauces.

One of Bill's greatest pleasures was in bringing people together. Many have commented that if it weren't for Bill, their circle of friends would be much smaller. Maybe no greater early example of this was his heading up the Blackfoot Boogie. The story goes that Bill and friends wanted to have a giant "hippie bash" that would be remembered for all time. They pulled it off. Under the guise of a 10-year Hellgate High School Reunion, Stoianoff et al. secured a permit for the event at Harper's Lake. In the original request for the permit, they noted about "400 attendees" would show. They were only off by about 800. The event featured several bands, aquatic experiences (clothing optional) and of course food, which was a mainstay of almost any Uncle Bill gathering. His catchphrase born of this event would become "If you're not having fun, you're not trying hard enough."

The sheriff, having learned the true nature of the gathering, arrived on site with several deputies. Stoianoff, permit in hand, spoke with him about the party. In the end, law enforcement left, allowing the attendees to continue. According to sources, the sheriff noted that those present were "well behaved" and that the site was left in better condition than it had been found. Score one for Uncle Bill.

Bill was always about gathering friends, where most events invariably centered on food. He had an old green panel truck that he called the party van. It sported an "Onward through the fog" bumper sticker and was most useful in his almost weekly floats down the Bitterroot River. Bill would fly down the street with inner tubes tied to the truck and a number of folks on the inside. The float was a leisurely cruise down the Bitterroot with a usual stop at a small island to break out sandwiches and a beer from the monstrous Styrofoam floating party barge. At the end of the float, it did not take long for the familiar Stoianoff to put out his thumb on the highway and catch a ride to the weigh station where the green beauty was parked.

In the late 1990s he began his weekly Car Club gathering. These meetings were composed of several local motorheads who belonged to a group known as the Montana Legends: "legends in our own minds." One member called them a "splinter group of a nonexistent organization." From time to time a few civilians were allowed to attend the meetings. They would discuss modifications and general maintenance and upgrade issues for their various vintage and current model vehicles. Bill had a beautiful classic Hudson that was in a perpetual state of restoration and modification. Being a world-traveled aspiring chef, Bill of course would make some incredibly large and tasty dish for each event, spending several days in the preparation.

These food extravaganzas would breathe life into his Thursday Night at the Round Tables celebrations. On one of his trips to Morocco, he photographed a beautiful mosaic pattern, and then had it enlarged and embossed on six round plastic tabletops, which he set on plastic five-gallon buckets. Many chairs were placed around the tables, and attendees brought and served any number of interesting concoctions. Like those before and others to come, these get-togethers centered on friendship and food.

Bill was forever reinventing himself. His cooking prowess would extend to a professional stint at both catering and sausage making. He and a friend opened Gorilla Catering and served several events throughout the western part of the state. Uncle Bill's Sausages would grow to become a recognized brand sold in multiple local grocery stores as well as at his stall at the Saturday Farmers' Market. He also had a short stint of producing his sausages for ex-pats living in Thailand.

Bill was a die-hard traveler. He most enjoyed and talked about his time spent in Jamaica, India, Morocco, and Thailand, the latter where he would live four to six months out of the year in his later life. There he met lifelong friends with whom he was in contact up until his departure. One could count on Bill having a story (or stories) for each location, regaling you for hours, and hours and hours and hours (lol) about the places he lived and the good people he met. We've all heard two things he perpetually said: "Be a traveler, not a tourist"; and "Wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and ask, 'What do YOU want to do today?'"

Bill's unabashed interest in community building led to some incredible encounters with famous people. He met bluesman Robert Cray in the early 1970s and had him for dinner on several occasions. He met Jesse Jackson's entourage and fed them and claimed that one of them said, "Your cornbread is better than my mother's." He cooked for Mutabaruka, Jamaican Rastafari musician and poet. He met famous chef Paul Prudhomme, who jokingly said he had corresponded with a friend of Bill's in Missoula who continually invited him to forgo Mardis Gras in New Orleans and come to Missoula. Prudhomme laughingly told Bill "That boy Murray crazy."

We can't have an honest discussion about Bill without admitting that he had a curmudgeonly side. He could be abrupt and rude and sometimes would test the bounds of friendship. But he went through a metamorphic change when he began taking care of his father. Bill would go to the rest home where Mike stayed at least five days a week, taking him out to dinner, bringing him to friends' houses where parties were held. He took him on long vacation trips, always with an eye toward making sure he was comfortable and enjoyed his last days. That's a lesson we all can draw from.

Entrepreneur, adventurer, gourmand, gourmet, facilitator, connector, networker, bridge-builder: all words that describe William "Uncle Bill" Stoianoff. May we all be lucky enough to have someone remember us this way when we transition.