Dr. Peter Metcalf

Dr. Peter John Francis Metcalf, 76, of Bettendorf, Iowa, died Saturday, May 7, 2022 at the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House in Bettendorf. Dr. Metcalf practiced as a pediatrician at Genesis Hospital in Silvis from 1994 until his retirement in June of 2016. His first priority during his life was the well-being of all children. For the last several years of his practice, he was also the Vice President of Medical Affairs for the peripheral hospitals in Genesis Health System.

Born in England, Dr. Metcalf received his medical degree from the University of Bristol in England in 1970, the same year he married his wife of nearly 52 years, Karen. He did his internship and began his residency in England before moving to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1972.  He completed his residency in 1975 and then went into private pediatric practice in Lethbridge, Alberta, where he stayed until 1992.  During his years in Lethbridge he established and ran a Level II neonatal nursery and was actively engaged at the local and provincial levels in organizations dealing with his areas of clinical interest and expertise as well as broader professional issues.  In 1992 he spent five weeks in Kiev, Ukraine, as a representative of the Canadian government as he helped with the development of that city’s neonatal facilities.  Between 1992 and 1994, he practiced as a consultant pediatrician in Abbotsford, British Columbia, at which time he made the personal and professional decision to move to the Quad-Cities.

All his life, Dr. Metcalf was first and foremost a physician.  He considered medicine a vocation, a calling, and he expected every practitioner to adhere to the highest standards of excellence and medical ethics.  These values were instilled in him by his parents, Drs. W. Kenneth and Norah Frances Metcalf, both of whom taught new generations of physicians at the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska.  Of his parents’ seven children, five went into medicine, the “family business,” and several members of the younger generations continue that tradition.

Following his retirement, Dr. Metcalf continued his professional dedication by researching and writing a series of mini-biographies for the medical staff newsletter of Genesis Health System; these stories were about an eclectic array of individuals that he believed to be important to the history of medicine as a profession.

Until the last few months, Dr. Metcalf had an active retirement, much of it spent tending to his garden.  He climbed to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London only four months after receiving a new heart valve; he and his wife, Karen, took a pair of European cruises and in January of 2020 he skied at his beloved Big Mountain Ski Resort in Whitefish, Mont. Often caught singing in the halls, Dr. Metcalf was a lifelong fan of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and in the summer of 2019 he attended the Paul McCartney concert in the Quad-Cities as well as the Rolling Stones concert in Chicago with his son, Bobby. Although a lifelong Brit, he became a United States citizen in 2020. In July of 2020, he and Karen celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

Dr. Metcalf is survived by his wife, Karen; his daughter, Jennifer Wiseman (Croydon, England) and his son, Robert (Davenport, Iowa); his father, Dr. W. Kenneth Metcalf (Brownsville, Texas and Omaha, Neb.); his siblings Dr. Nicholas Metcalf (Brownsville, Texas), Dr. Amanda Metcalf (Sanibel Island, Fla.), Dr. Abigail (Lynn) Christiansen (Middleton, Wisc.), Lindsey (Darren) Holley (Omaha, Neb.), and Dr. Jordan (Jane) Metcalf (Oklahoma City, Okla.) as well as his sisters-in-law Kathy Metcalf (Muscatine, Iowa), Kathy (Don) Wiggins (Moline, Ill.) and numerous nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his mother, Dr. Norah Frances (Lambe) Metcalf, his aunt Dorothy Patricia Lambe, his brother Jeremy Michael Metcalf, and his nephew David Michael Metcalf.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 14, 2022 at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf.  Visitation will be held on Friday evening from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.  Burial will be at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Pleasant Valley, Iowa.    In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or to the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House.

Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Dr. Metcalf’s obituary at www.McGinnis-Chambers.com.