Tonja Jean Ridgeway passed away December 4, 2024 surrounded by family and friends at Saint Joseph Hospital.  She was born in Denver on August 1,1967 to Judy Ridgeway Cook and was the middle child of three. Tonja was a Colorado resident her entire life and loved the outdoors, mountains, water, campfires, and all things in nature. In 1985, Tonja graduated from Lincoln High School, enrolled at Metropolitan State University (MSU) on a soccer scholarship and majored in Education K-12.  She would later complete a Master's in Education from Regis University.  She was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 2006. Tonja was one of the first dominant Roadrunners' Women's Soccer players, earning All-American honors her first season.  She was phenomenal on the field but always humble and eager to downplay her accolades in the company of others.  In addition to playing soccer, Tonja was a respected coach for premier teams and players for many years in Denver and the greater metropolitan region.  She was intuitive and skilled as a player and brought her wisdom, love of the game, and competitive spirit to the players she led.  Her favorite call "pass it to my feet" equaled goals and glory.

The soccer field was also where she met the love of her life and spouse of 30 years, Lizz Clymer.  The two began their life together playing in New York at the Gay Olympics in 1994 where the team won the Gold.  It was the first of many adventures they would share. The years ahead would be spent sharing a love for animals, concerts in the park, days on the ski slopes, adventures nearby when Tonja would fish and Lizz would read, and hours of board and card games with their friends and family.

Tonja touched many lives and cared deeply for people, especially for her students at Molholm Elementary School where she taught for 30 years. Tonja created a space where kids could be active, healthy, competitive, and safe.  Her gym was a refuge for kids. They could take risks and know that they would always hear encouragement and humor from "Ms. Ridgeway" whether they were successful or not. Tonja also believed that when students were struggling in class holding back on PE or gym should not be used as a punishment. Health and fun were essential for the students.

It is difficult to find a person who spent time with Tonja who does not have a memory of her preparations for field day, and the amount of thought she put into every event, every child, every detail.  Countless people sat around the kitchen table, at some point, helping to prepare ribbons for the big day and/or volunteering to make things run smoothly on the school playground. Tonja was in her element and she wanted the special day to mean something for athletically inclined students and those who found athletic competition more challenging.  Everyone won!  She was adamant about maintaining a record wall in her gym and each year updated it to reflect that year's 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners and anyone who broke a record previously set by another student.  Students would come back years later to see if their name was still up on the wall.

In 2019, Tonja retired from teaching to care for Lizz who was diagnosed with lung cancer.  She was dedicated and steadfast about Lizz's care and prioritized keeping her safe and healthy.

Tonja is survived by her spouse Lizz and many others who loved her deeply including 11 nieces and nephews, three great nieces and nephew, aunts and uncles, her sister Tina and (husband) Jim Bertsch, Thai and (wife) Dee Ridgeway. Many happy times were spent with family, gathering in the mountains and foothills or wherever the road would take them. She was always providing tips or strategies to those lucky nieces and nephews for soccer, softball, volleyball, basketball, Catan, lacrosse, Pokémon and more. Kids were her focus and calling and she never resisted a good game or lesson to be learned.

She will be deeply missed.

An outdoor service will be held Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Molholm Park, 6000 W. 9th Ave, Lakewood, CO 80214.  In lieu of flowers you may donate to The Center on Colfax , Edgewater Collective or Red Fern Animal Rescue in her name.