LeJuana (Lee) Rachelle Montford, was born in Washington, D.C. on October 8, 1993 to Juana Montford and transitioned on October 16, 2014. She was employed with Tarrant County College as an Information Center Specialist.
As a child, LeJuana was extremely shy. To help her overcome her shyness, she was enrolled and performed in Expressions Dance Studio which helped to gain more confidence in her ability to become more outgoing. In 2007, LeJuana graduated from Corkran Middle School in Glen Burnie, Maryland. LeJuana’s creativity and originality prompted her to write a poem in 2007 entitle “Material Girl,” which can be found in the program.
At the age of nine, LeJuana accepted Christ as her personal Lord and Savior and was a member of First Christian Community Church in Annapolis, Maryland where she served on the choir, dance and usher ministries. She was excited about that stage of her life. Children were connected to her in a way that changed their character and focus in life.
In 2008, she and her mother relocated to Hurst, Texas where she attended and graduated from Birdville High School in 2011. Prior to graduation, LeJuana studied to obtain her cosmetology license, but her ambition was redirected to journalism. She became a member of the Dallas Fort Worth Association of Black Journalist in the 10th grade and participated in the Urban Journalism Workshop where she auditioned and was selected to anchor Fox 5 news. LeJuana had the zeal and motivation to continue to learn by participating in the Passport to College concurrent enrollment program at DeVry University. LeJuana’s love for writing further stimulated her to become a member of Birdville’s newspaper in 2009. As a staff writer, she was responsible for creating fashion articles in a way that impressed the school and community. In 2011, LeJuana was matriculated into Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas to study Broadcasting and Communication. She was also a coordinator for the Journey of a Young Lady, Inc. In 2014, she received the “Courage and Excellence” award.
The last month of her life was noteworthy. She talked with her grandmother about the Lord and informed her that she communed and prayed to the Lord every day. Also, LeJuana’s mother believes that the Lord was preparing LeJuana because of how she was changing and rededicating her life to Christ.
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of One of His saints” (Psalms 116:115). The family is encouraged to know that LeJuana is in heaven with the Lord.
She is survived by her mother, Juana Leonard and step-father Leon of Allen, Texas; brothers, Quinton and Jared Leonard; sister, Jada Leonard; grandmother, Rachel Montford of Fort Washington, Maryland; grandfather, Cornell Montford of Jacksonville, North Carolina; great-grandmother, Edna Jenkins of Kinston, North Carolina; aunts, Lesha Gregory and husband, David of Bryans Road, Maryland, Shirletta Carrington of Jessup, Maryland; god-daughter, Brynlee Powell of Fort Worth, Texas; god-parents, James and Evelyn West of Charlotte, North Carolina and Alvin and Evelyn Mason in Maryland; spiritual family Kimberly Beatty, husband Kelvin and Ian Wise; Jerome Chapman; uncle, Cornell Gordon of Fort Worth, Texas and a host of relatives and friends.
A funeral service will be held Friday, October 24, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. at One Community Church in Plano, Texas. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas. The family will receive friends during a visitation Thursday evening from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas. The video tribute is available at the following link for LeJuana; https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/lejuana-rachelle-montford.