Dayna Lightfoot's Love for life endured disease

Lydia Borchert can't remember a time when her mother, Dayna Lightfoot, could walk on her own. That led to a unique bond between Borchert, 21, and her mom.

"She was diagnosed with MS when she was 23, and after she had me it started to take a toll on her body," Borchert said. While other mothers and daughters were doing activities, Borchert spent most of her days after school by her mother's side, engaging in conversation and playing music at the highest volume so her mom could sing along.

"We didn't have a typical mother-daughter relationship," Borchert said. "I became a best friend to her and her to me."

Lightfoot, a beloved preschool teacher, died June 12 after a three-decade battle with multiple sclerosis, the worst of it being the last 12 years.

Lightfoot was a loving, vivacious and humorous spirit, according to her family. Most will remember her as larger than life, hilarious, and someone who would burst out in song for no apparent reason.

"She was beautiful and engaging and always the center of attention," longtime family friend Elizabeth Boyd said.

Even with the multiple sclerosis accelerating her inability to walk and causing frustration, Scott Borchert said his wife was able to see the positive in anything and was determined to make the most of life.

"She would never complain and was always very positive and humorous. She was a very courageous person," he said.

Lightfoot was born in St. Paul on Aug. 14., 1965, to Daniel and Marilu Lightfoot. As a youngster, she was precocious and fun-loving. From an early age she developed a love for theater and would perform plays she created for anyone who was willing to watch.

"She was always practicing being onstage, and I was her audience," said her sister, DebraTourek. "It was nonstop. No matter how old she was, she was singing and dancing."

Lightfoot attended the University of Minnesota and earned a degree in education. Before teaching preschool, she spent 12 years at a Minneapolis law firm as the "best receptionist Winthrop & Weinstine ever had," according to Boyd. Lightfoot knew the clients by name and kept the attorneys on the "straight and narrow."

"There were to be no egos around Dayna," Boyd said. "She always kept it real and kept everyone humble."

Scott Borchert, a lawyer, said he and his wife met through friends. They married in 1997.

"I thought she was extremely beautiful, smart, funny and very independent. She had a unique way of looking at life," Scott Borchert said.

Lightfoot maintained her love of the arts by starring in many community theater musicals.

"She was always singing show tunes and loved them," Scott Borchert said.

Although Lightfoot did everything with commitment and passion, there was nothing she was more dedicated to than her daughter, Lydia. "She took a lot of care in being a mother," her husband said. "She always tried to make everything special. She took an interest in whatever Lydia did," he said.

Her daughter agreed.

"She wanted to do anything to make anyone she loved smile," she said. "She was a great friend, and wanted to leave the world a little bit better than when she was here."

"It was a privilege spending a portion of her life with her," Scott Borchert said. "She was a free spirit and will always be missed."

In addition to her husband, daughter and sister, she is survived by her father, Daniel Lightfoot. Services have been held.

Precious Fondren • 612-673-7101