Obituary: Philip Ayres Metcalf, 77, Of Bethel

Information and Photo Courtesy Hull Funeral Home

BETHEL, CT — Philip Ayres Metcalf passed away peacefully on Mar. 9, 2023 in Bethel.

Born 23rd of August 1945, in Ann Arbor Michigan to Aldevard and Helen Metcalf, Phillip was a graduate of Ripon College and UNC Chapel Hill. He was married to his wife Diana (Allen) in 1971 until her passing in 2009.

Philip is survived by his and Diana’s three children - James (m. Marissa) of New York, Julia (m. Jeffery) of Connecticut and Christopher (m. Jill) of Maine and three grandsons. He is also survived by his brother, William “Billy” (m. Althea) of Illinois.

A past member of Merion (Golf) and The Merion Cricket Club, The Elk River Yacht Club, as well as Ardrossan Beagle Club, he enjoyed being outside “as much as possible.” He enjoyed his long walks among other physical activities.

Phil was an avid golfer, tennis player, hiker and church choir member; he enjoyed gardening, travel, cooking and fine dining. He loved architecture and garden design, but most of all, he loved to read and listen to music, be it live or recorded. Fond family memories include trips to Europe, skiing “Out West” and summers on the Elk River in Maryland.

Before his diagnosis of dementia, Phil was known for his impeccable trivia memory, friends enjoyed playing the game “Stump Phil” at dinner parties, where they would try to bring an obscure piece of trivia that he couldn’t possibly know about.

He started his career in publishing at Random House, later moving into telecommunications, leading him eventually into voice recognition software. Professionally, he enjoyed his work as a systems engineer in the tech industry until his retirement.

Services will be held at St. Michael’s Church in Litchfield, Connecticut at 2:00 p.m. on the 1st of April.

A zoom link for the service will be available on request.

In Lieu of flowers, donations in Philips memory may be made to The Alzheimers Association or Penn Memory Center.