Joesph Delbert Guilbault

Joe D. Guilbault passed away peacefully on September 7 at the age of 92 with his wife of 67 years, Lucille (Lucy) M. Guilbault, by his side. Born in Helena, Montana to the parents of Charles (Charlie) and Clara Guilbault in 1933, Joe was one of seven siblings. His father Charlie was a pharmacist and owned The College Pharmacy near Carroll College in Helena, in addition to the Red Roof Drive-Inn. In high school, Joe was known for championing his fellow classmates who needed support yet also had a fondness for rescuing stray cats. Mustard was his first, who quickly became the family cat, and eventually he found Snowball – who lived a life of luxury at The College Pharmacy. Joe graduated from Cathedral High School in Helena, Montana in 1951, where he was a star basketball player and a “Cathedral Greenie” during his time on the team. 

After high school, there was an urban legend that Joe climbed up to the top of the high school’s cathedral and gold-leafed the spires. Later he went on to earn an honorary degree from Carroll College. At 21, Joe was drafted into the Army where he served at the Rhein-Maine Air Base in Frankfurt, Germany, and was later stationed at Fort Ord in California. One of Joe’s personal claims to fame during his time in Germany was that he met Brigitte Bardot on the beach. Joe started his business career in the insurance arena with New York Life. Following a brief tenure in the insurance industry, he began his longtime, award-winning hotel career at The Benson Hotel in Portland Oregon as a sales manager in 1961. Throughout the ‘60s, he worked at the world-renowned St. Francis Hotel in Union Square, San Francisco as Resident Manager, followed by general manager at The Antlers Plaza in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1970, Joe was offered an exciting international role of a lifetime, packing up his family of six and leaving the United States for Johannesburg, South Africa. 

In his newly appointed role for Westin Hotels, he served as Resident Manager of the new luxury landmark, The Carlton Hotel. At the time, the 31-story Carlton was considered the biggest construction project and most luxurious hotel in the Southern Hemisphere, becoming a popular destination for celebrities and Heads of State. Following a three-year stint in South Africa, Joe and family returned stateside, moving to Atlanta, Georgia where he worked alongside world-renown architect, John Portman, who was designing the now infamous Peachtree Plaza Hotel. The hotel became a stunning 73-story cylindrical glass skyscraper and was the tallest hotel in the world upon its opening in 1976. The groundbreaking Peachtree Plaza opened to local and global fanfare, with Joe at the helm as Managing Director. He continued as a prominent hotel executive through the mid-90s, as a general manager with both Westin and Stouffer/Renaissance hotels, working his way to his final role as Senior Vice President at Stouffer Hotels & Resorts based in Cleveland, Ohio. 

During his career, Joe and his family quickly became world travelers at a young age, living in seven different states and overseas for three years. Throughout his 30-year hotel career, Joe was celebrated as a transformative figure in the hospitality industry, and was honored with numerous awards, including an inductee in Who’s Who in America for Outstanding Achievement in 1978-1979, and receiving the Hotel Industry Leader of the Year award in 1991 from the Georgia Hospitality Travel Association. After his retirement in 1995, the call of Montana still beckoned, and he and his wife moved home to build a house on Flathead Lake, where he resided until 2023. Although he was officially retired, old habits die hard and Joe became part owner of Kalispell’s Hilton Garden Inn from 2012-2022. 

In the last 15 years of his life, Joe often reflected on and cherished his life experiences and career by spending time with his family, close friends, grandkids, and former hotel colleagues – both on Flathead Lake and as a part-time California snowbird. Never short on tales and countless experiences, Joe’s friends and family dubbed him a notoriously colorful and prolific storyteller, who would often be seen frequenting the men’s weekly coffee group at Norm’s in downtown Kalispell the last 20 years. He had a rare affinity for delivering a memorable punchline, but was always remembered as a loyal father, husband and friend throughout his life. 

Joe was preceded in death by his parents Charlie and Clara, and four sisters Pat, Rita, Mary and Judy. Today, he is survived by his wife Lucy, 90, of Kalispell, as well as his daughter Jodi, his three sons Tony, Tim and Patrick – in addition to his sister Ellen MacMillan (Kalispell) and brother Larry Guilbault (Fort Shaw), and longtime best friend and hotel protégé, Chris Marker (Medina, WA). Friends are encouraged to visit our website at www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolences for the family. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory caring for the family.