Roy Douglas Munson, 57, of Afton, Minnesota, was born on February 9, 1968 in St. Paul, MN and passed away on January 30, 2026 in St. Paul, MN.
Doug grew up in the St. Croix Valley in Lakeland MN and was in the graduating class of 1986 at Stillwater Area High School. People may remember him most from working at Marx Fusion Bistro & Wine Bar or The Green Room in downtown Stillwater or from the multitude of other endeavors Doug wondered to. Outside of the Midwest he was best known as Roy.
Roy lived a life without borders. He traveled the world freely and fearlessly, including time in Egypt and in Israel, where he taught English, worked in an Israeli restaurant, and lived on a moshav alongside Palestinians. His life was shaped by experience, not ideology—by people, not positions. He also called many places home, including San Francisco and Redding, California; Nevada; and Hawaii Island. Wherever he went, he left an impression.
Roy always knew where to find fun—and if there wasn’t any to be found, he created it. He was a rule breaker by nature, forever riding the line between law and order, guided not by convention but by his own internal compass. That edge, that refusal to be boxed in, was part of what made life around him feel electric and alive.
Roy was a natural. Not a leader and not a follower—he was a creator of his own time and space. People were drawn to him instinctively. He blazed trails others only imagined and lived a life many experienced vicariously through him. It was a life most admired, but never envied—because envy suggests it could be replicated, and Roy’s life could not. It was uniquely his.
He was never “better than thou.” In fact, he was the opposite. He had seen wealth and stood up for the underdog. He had lived with abundance and with almost nothing, and he would give the shirt off his back without hesitation. Roy understood both ends of life’s spectrum, and that understanding shaped his deep sense of fairness and humanity.
Roy was a fighter in the most literal sense. His temper was volcanic—capable of great eruption when provoked—but dormant most of the time. He loved hard, worked hard, and played hard. His tongue was a double-edged sword: it could disarm you with kindness or cut straight to the truth. He could recognize your greatness—or expose your shortcomings—within moments of meeting you.
His mind never stopped moving. Roy was an inventor in every sense of the word, endlessly conjuring ideas and possibilities. He could sell ice to Eskimos, choose the perfect bottle of wine, and think several steps ahead of everyone else. He was quick—quick enough to catch a fly or a bird out of the air. His aim was dead on. He was a daredevil. He was fearless.
And yet, he was also warm, loving, and kind. His words could soothe. He offered a shoulder to cry on, calm in chaos, a harbor in the tempest. Roy was many things—fierce and gentle, sharp and generous, restless and grounding—and he lived fully as all of them.
Roy was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Shirley Munson. He is survived by his longtime partner, Shannon Perron, and his beloved sons, Aidan and Christian Golish.
He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who were fortunate enough to know him.
Celebration of life is being planned for this Spring for friends and family to celebrate and share in their memories of their time with Roy.
Doug grew up in the St. Croix Valley in Lakeland MN and was in the graduating class of 1986 at Stillwater Area High School. People may remember him most from working at Marx Fusion Bistro & Wine Bar or The Green Room in downtown Stillwater or from the multitude of other endeavors Doug wondered to. Outside of the Midwest he was best known as Roy.
Roy lived a life without borders. He traveled the world freely and fearlessly, including time in Egypt and in Israel, where he taught English, worked in an Israeli restaurant, and lived on a moshav alongside Palestinians. His life was shaped by experience, not ideology—by people, not positions. He also called many places home, including San Francisco and Redding, California; Nevada; and Hawaii Island. Wherever he went, he left an impression.
Roy always knew where to find fun—and if there wasn’t any to be found, he created it. He was a rule breaker by nature, forever riding the line between law and order, guided not by convention but by his own internal compass. That edge, that refusal to be boxed in, was part of what made life around him feel electric and alive.
Roy was a natural. Not a leader and not a follower—he was a creator of his own time and space. People were drawn to him instinctively. He blazed trails others only imagined and lived a life many experienced vicariously through him. It was a life most admired, but never envied—because envy suggests it could be replicated, and Roy’s life could not. It was uniquely his.
He was never “better than thou.” In fact, he was the opposite. He had seen wealth and stood up for the underdog. He had lived with abundance and with almost nothing, and he would give the shirt off his back without hesitation. Roy understood both ends of life’s spectrum, and that understanding shaped his deep sense of fairness and humanity.
Roy was a fighter in the most literal sense. His temper was volcanic—capable of great eruption when provoked—but dormant most of the time. He loved hard, worked hard, and played hard. His tongue was a double-edged sword: it could disarm you with kindness or cut straight to the truth. He could recognize your greatness—or expose your shortcomings—within moments of meeting you.
His mind never stopped moving. Roy was an inventor in every sense of the word, endlessly conjuring ideas and possibilities. He could sell ice to Eskimos, choose the perfect bottle of wine, and think several steps ahead of everyone else. He was quick—quick enough to catch a fly or a bird out of the air. His aim was dead on. He was a daredevil. He was fearless.
And yet, he was also warm, loving, and kind. His words could soothe. He offered a shoulder to cry on, calm in chaos, a harbor in the tempest. Roy was many things—fierce and gentle, sharp and generous, restless and grounding—and he lived fully as all of them.
Roy was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Shirley Munson. He is survived by his longtime partner, Shannon Perron, and his beloved sons, Aidan and Christian Golish.
He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who were fortunate enough to know him.
Celebration of life is being planned for this Spring for friends and family to celebrate and share in their memories of their time with Roy.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Roy Douglas Munson, please visit our flower store.
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