Lela Jonita Boyd Borchardt, 82, of Ponder, Texas passed away on December 5, 2022 in Denton, Texas.  She was born in Ft. Worth, Texas on September 25, 1940 to Sulton John and Elena Barton Boyd.

When Jonita was third grade her family moved to Krum, Texas where the love of her life, Jerry Borchardt, later moved to in the eighth grade.  They had their first date while in the tenth grade and soon became inseparable.  On July 25, 1959 they became Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Borchardt.

Jonita began her college education at UNT where she pursued a degree in English and Foreign Language.  This led to her teaching English at Argyle High School as well as coaching the girls basketball team.  She missed being at home with her growing family so she left teaching to stay home while volunteering her time to teach Spanish 2 days a week to the students at Krum Elementary.

Her love for helping others eventually led her to follow in the footsteps of some of her family members and become an attorney.  She obtained her Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree in 1977 from SMU and shortly thereafter opened her solo practice focusing on family law.

Jonita soon became known as an attorney that would work tirelessly for her clients to ensure that the law treated them fairly no matter their circumstances.   She volunteered her time and talents to her profession by serving as the President of the Denton Bar Association in 1987-1988, Chair of Women and the Law State Bar of Texas in 1993-1994, and was appointed in October 1994 by the Supreme Court of Texas to the Gender Bias Reform Implementation Committee.

Jonita spent her time away from the office by tending to her flower gardens, vacationing with her family in Colorado, working crossword and jigsaw puzzles, and reading historical mystery novels.

She is survived by her husband, Jerry, of Ponder;  daughters Elaine Borchardt of Lewisville, Joan Padgett and husband David of Allen;  and son Eric Borchardt and wife Angela of Krum;  and sister Betty Burns of Farmers Branch;  six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Jonita is preceded in death by her parents, sister, Nancy Murdock, and brother, George Boyd.

A memorial service will be held at DeBerry Funeral Home in Denton, Texas on Sunday, December 18, 2022 at 2:00 PM.