Rexanna "Joie" Jo Fontaine

Rexanna Jo “Joie” Fontaine was born on June 21, 1961, in Great Falls, Mt to Bonnie Fontaine and Clark Fontaine. She passed away on October 26, 2025, at 6:28 p.m., in Missoula, Mt after being life-flighted from Butte, Mt — the town she always considered home.

 

She was preceded in death by her mother Bonnie, her father Clark, and her sisters Sunday and Debbie.

 

Joie’s life was layered, complex, and deeply human. At her best, she was beautiful, bold, and unapologetically herself. She was funny, fiercely protective, and the kind of woman who would give the shirt off her back without hesitation. She loved loudly and intensely.

 

She spent much of her life searching for lasting love and believed wholeheartedly in finding her forever partner. Some of her happiest memories were during her marriage to the late Mike Martin, riding Harleys and cruising beneath Montana’s wide sky along the Big Hole River.

 

Joie was the mother of three children: Julie Riojas; Tracy Lee Cole Gollette; and Alicia Fontaine, who was lovingly adopted as an infant by family members who provided stability and care during complicated seasons of life.

 

She battled lifelong substance use disorder, a struggle that shaped much of her journey. It does not define her entirely, but it is part of her truth. Her life reflected generational patterns of both strength and hardship.

 

Joie loved her grandchildren deeply and found a tenderness in grandmotherhood that meant a great deal to her. She is survived by her beloved grandchildren: Kya Rognstad; George Riojas II; Valentino “Tino” Riojas; Joseph Gollette; Jocelyn Gollette; Jasmine Gollette; Tyson King; and Tavia King.

 

She is also survived by her niece, Caitlyn Brisbo, who loved her dearly and cared for her with loyalty and compassion.

 

In her final hours, surrounded by her children in prayer and love, she was told she was forgiven, that she was loved, and that she could rest. Scripture was read, peace was spoken over her, and her privacy and dignity were protected as she was released gently into eternal rest.

 

No one deserves to leave this world without peace.

 

A Celebration of Life will be held in Butte, Mt during the summer of 2026. Specific dates and times will be announced at a later time. Joie’s children and close friends will gather to share stories, spread her ashes in the places she loved most, and honor her memory with music played by one of her dearest friends.

 

Her legacy lives not in perfection, but in humanity — in laughter, in fierce protection, and in the generations who choose healing moving forward.

 

Under Montana’s wide sky, may her spirit finally ride free — held in the love she searched for all her life