David Michael Metcalf

DAVID METCALF MUSCATINE, Iowa -- David Michael Metcalf, 32, of Muscatine, died on Tuesday, July 14, 2015. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 24, 2015 at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Friday, July 24, at the funeral home, with memorial services to immediately follow. In lieu of flowers, David would have loved your donations and gifts to go to the Muscatine Food Pantry, to help those in need. Donations may be mailed to Muscatine Food Pantry, ATTN: Bill Dyar, Coordinator, 315 Iowa Avenue, Muscatine, IA 52761. Online condolences: www.wittichfuneralhome.com David was born in Muscatine on November 24, 1982. He was the third son and child of J. Michael Metcalf and Kathleen Marie Metcalf. His brothers are Brian James Metcalf and Christopher Jeremy Metcalf. David grew up in Muscatine and graduated from Muscatine High. That is where he met his high school sweetheart, Rose Torgerson. David and Rose were married and had many happy years together. They parted as friends and remained close. David graduated from the University of Northe...[more]

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Iowa with a teaching degree in secondary education. He continued his education and graduated with a Master's Degree in History from the University of Northern Iowa in May, 2013. David began teaching as an adjunct professor at Eastern Iowa Community College in the summer of 2013. He continued teaching at the college through summer, 2015. For David, teaching was a calling. He took great pride in his students' achievements and was so pleased when students reported he was the first teacher to make them enjoy history. Through teaching, David knew he could make a difference for good in the world, and he was utterly devoted to that task. David's interests were varied and sundry, from the creative to the mundane. David was known to be a scholar and a writer, a fine chess player, a ballroom dancer and a guitarist. He was a kind and gentle man with a good heart and a wonderful sense of humor. He was a good uncle who spent 364 days a year in search of the perfect Christmas presents. David was also a warrior in a battle that he did not seek with bipolar disorder, an unrelenting and treacherous enemy. David's life is proof both that bipolar is no barrier to a life well lived at the highest levels of achievement, and that the disorder requires constant vigilance. His family is beyond proud of who he was, and his courage in the face of such a foe. David left on what he had planned to be the great American road trip on Monday, July 13th, and it ended in tragedy. He was deeply loved by his family and friends and we are heartbroken. David leaves behind his mother, Kathleen Metcalf; two brothers, Brian and Chris; 5 nieces and nephews, Casey Metcalf, 17, Seth Metcalf, 13, Emmett Metcalf, 5, Michael Metcalf, 2, and Genevieve Metcalf, 1. David was preceded in death by his father, J. Michael Metcalf and his grandparents, Norah Lambe Metcalf, Herbert Milton DeLano and Betty K. DeLano. The family would like to encourage the community to be supportive of those with this unseen illness and all mental illnesses. It is random chance in the genetic lottery; and it had a chance of residing within you. David was a man who collected quotations. One of his favorites follows: "You are a child of the universe, No less than the trees and the stars; You have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, And whatever you conceive him to be, And whatever your labors and aspirations, In the noisy confusion of life, Keep Peace with your soul. With all its shame, drudgery, and broken dreams, It is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy." -Max Ehrmann, Desiderata