In loving memory of
Elizabeth Jane Borchard
May 20, 1934 - November 9, 2024
Elizabeth Jane Borchard (nee Wall), aged 90, of Shoreline, WA, passed away at home on November 9, 2024, of natural causes. Elizabeth was born May 20, 1934, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Patrick and Alice Wall. As their first child, Elizabeth was nicknamed "Toy" by her parents, then went on to be called Betty Jane through her school years and early adulthood, and finally went by Elizabeth and Liz after marriage. She and her siblings John, Patricia, and Paul Wall, all grew up together in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and spent their summers playing in the waves at Ocean City, New Jersey.
Elizabeth attended College Misericordia (now Misericordia University) in Dallas, Pennsylvania, earning a Bachelor's degree in 1956. Following her graduation, she taught high school English in Bel Air, Maryland, for ten years, during which time she also earned a Master's degree in Liberal Arts from Johns Hopkins University. Seeking adventure, Elizabeth accepted a teaching position in Fairbanks, Alaska. She always enjoyed recounting how she, then aged 33, and her youngest sibling, Paul, then aged 16, drove together from the east coast to Fairbanks via the dusty, and at times treacherous, Alaska-Canadian (ALCAN) Highway.
Elizabeth enjoyed downhill skiing and met her future husband on the slopes of Cleary Summit. Heinz G. Borchard and Elizabeth married in Fairbanks in 1967, and went on to enjoy many outdoor activities in the Last Frontier. A son, Kurt, joined them in 1968, followed by daughters Marleyse (Missy) in 1969, and finally Susan in 1975.
While raising a family in Fairbanks, Elizabeth taught high school, junior high school, and grade school for the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD). Later she left teaching to work in administration for the FNSBSD superintendent of schools.
After her husband Heinz died in 1988, Elizabeth retired, and she and her daughter Susan moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to be closer to her brother Paul and his wife Doris. Elizabeth loved being of use to others, and started work again in Colorado once again teaching and then ultimately working at an elder-care facility. In later years Elizabeth followed Susan's young family to be a doting grandmother and enjoy her grandsons, Gavin, Isaac, and Henry. Over the years she lived in both Washington State and Oregon - before finally settling permanently in Shoreline, Washington where she lived together with her eldest daughter until her passing.
Elizabeth adored her family, and she loved the open road. Over the dark winters in Alaska she studied road maps and plotted routes back to the east coast, so her children would know their east coast relatives. Between 1975 and 1983 she pulled off a few road-trips as the solo driver with her three children in her Chevy Suburban all the way from Fairbanks to Ocean City, New Jersey and back in time for the next school year. She often said if she wasn't a teacher she would have loved to be a truck driver. In Alaska, she introduced her children to fishing at the North Fork of the Chena River, soaking in hot springs, and watching the migratory ducks and geese at Creamer's Field. When she couldn't get to the Jersey Shore for the summer, she packed picnics and took her kids and their friends to a local lake or gravel pit in Alaska to enjoy swimming and the sun. Her love of nature and ability to find happiness in beauty and life was passed down to her children. Liz had a soft heart for lost souls and adopted several dogs over her lifetime, including Toughy, Griffey, Rowdy, Bozo, Charlie, Siam, Sadie, and Obie.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband Heinz, parents Patrick and Alice Wall, brothers John and Paul Wall, and her sister Patricia Streett (nee Wall). She is survived by her son Kurt Borchard, daughters Missy Borchard and Susan Jackson, her son-in-law Steve Jackson, and her three grandsons Gavin, Isaac, and Henry Jackson. She is also survived by her sister-in-law Doris Wall, and nieces and nephews John Streett, Paul Streett, Mary Streett DeMers, Donna Streett Imbrierowicz, Lyn Schmidt, Sue DeCrescente, Patrick Wall, Greg Wall, and David Wall. She leaves behind three beloved dogs, Daphne, Minnie, and Pip, in the care of family.
The family will hold a private service. Cremation is being arranged with Cascade Memorial Cremation. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital or any animal shelter.