Imogene Dalton Ridge, 69, of Port Orchard and Tucson, Ariz., died March 1 in Bremerton.

She was born Imogene Iris Dalton to I. C. and Stella Dalton in Edina, Mo., in 1936.

She was a gifted singer and began performing on stage at age 3. She entered college on a music scholarship in voice, after competing in state level high school voice competitions.

As a teenager she recorded a single that generated interest from recording studios. During her adult years she participated in ladies barbershop quartets and choirs.

It was in junior high school where she met her future husband while playing in a basketball game, accidentally colliding with Ronald Ridge, a fan observing the game courtside near the basket.

She played varsity basketball and softball during high school, participated in intramural sports in college and played semi-pro softball in Denver, Colo. In later years the main sport she played was golf. She was a fan of baseball, basketball and cycling and golf.

After graduating from William Woods College in Fulton, Mo., she continued her undergraduate study at the University of Colorado, completing her bachelor’s degree and earning her teaching certificate from the University of Northern Colorado.

She started teaching before marrying Ron Ridge in 1958 and continued her full-time teaching career until the birth of their second child. She then focused her energies on raising her children, teaching part time and substitute teaching for a number of years.

When her second daughter was in high school, she went back to school at Eastern Washington University in Cheney. She completed her career teaching kindergarten through third grade for several years at Cougar Mountain Academy in Issaquah.

After their retirement, she and Ron traveled the western states and made occasional trips to Europe. While at home she enjoyed spending time outside on the patio or the deck of her home, working in the garden and yard and taking long walks. She was an enthusiastic gardener as she planted and maintained several planting beds, fruit trees and a bountiful vegetable garden.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother Richard.

She is survived by her husband Ronald Ridge; daughter and son-in-law Robin and Kevin Magraw of Bainbridge Island; daughter and son-in-law Candice Ridge and Larry Shannon of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; granddaughters, Chelsea and Madeline Magraw of Bainbridge Island; grandsons Ryan Magraw of Bainbridge Island and Trevor Sinclair of Rancho Santa Fe; and her sister, Betty Tiehen of Mesa, Ariz.

A memorial service will be held in Longmont, Colorado.