Joseph William Thompson

Dr. Joseph William Thompson, a Missoula, Montana veterinarian for forty years, died at home of a heart attack on the morning of Saturday, December 31.

He was 70 years old (October 6, 1952 to December 31, 2022). Joe’s love for all creatures great and small suited him for veterinary medicine and the outdoor life of Montana.

Joe was the son of Joseph and Mary Regina (nee Joyce) Thompson of Morgantown, West Virginia.  Joe’s love for adventure began in the eighth grade after a successful fishing trip during an unreported absence from school.

Joe graduated from Saint Francis Central High School in Morgantown, West Virginia in 1970. He went to West Virginia University and graduated in 1974 as a pre-vet major. Joe then went to the School of Veterinarian Medicine at Tuskegee University and graduated in 1982. Joe moved to Missoula, Montana for his first job and soon fell in love with this outdoor paradise. 

To say Joe was an avid hunter and fisherman is an understatement, but in later years he seemed to take more pleasure in simply being outdoors among all things bright and beautiful; finding the hawk’s nest, photographing the rattlesnake. Joe enjoyed western and salsa dancing and did not miss many weekends at the Sunrise Saloon. Joe enjoyed showing friends the clearing where Lewis and Clark camped as they climbed through Lolo Pass. He would not own a cell phone. His favorite movie was The Song of Bernadette about the Blessed Mother’s appearance at Lourdes, France. Joe passed away on his couch, clutching a family crucifix to his chest with Hunter, his Golden Retriever, by his side.

Joe is survived by his sister, Mary Kay Hustead, and her daughters, Nicole Hope Hustead of DeQuincy LA and her fiancé Jonathan Clifton, and Kristin Faith Stein of Wellington FL, and Mary Kay’s fiancé, James Bolon of Dillonvale, Ohio.

There will be a memorial Mass for Joe at Saint Francis Xavier Parish in Missoula, Montana on Thursday, February 23rd at 10:30am. Joe’s ashes will be buried with his parents at East Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown, West Virginia in early summer.

A glimpse of one of Joe’s recent adventures can be had by searching “A Wilder View: Wrangling Rattlesnakes for Science.”