Rodney Charles Metcalfe

Rodney C. Metcalfe, 65, a longtime resident of Northern Virginia, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 7, 2021, at INOVA Fairfax Cardiac ICU with his family by his side. He is preceded in death by his parents, Richard E. and Elwanda Faye Metcalfe. Rodney is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Phyllis Metcalfe; beloved children, Sarah Metcalfe and Trevor Metcalfe; cherished brother, Richard Metcalfe, sister-in-law Mary Grace Metcalfe, niece, Christina Metcalfe, and grandniece Keira Metcalfe; brother-in-law James (Jim) Reames, sister-in-law Karen Reames, nephew Aaron Reames, niece Lauren Reames; and brother-in-law Warren Reames. A veteran of the grocery business for more than 35 years, Rodney began his career at Basics Food Warehouse in Woodbridge, Virginia in 1982. For the past 15 years, Rodney was the Frozen Food Lead at Shoppers Food Warehouse on Main Street, Fairfax, Virginia, where he developed long-standing friendships with coworkers and customers who were like a second family to him. Rodney was also a certified diesel mechanic and enjoyed seeking out antique vehicles of all kinds to restore, especially vintage Volkswagen beetles. But first and foremost for Rodney was his family. He was a devoted and loving husband and a very proud father, a true superhero to his children. From preschool to present, Rodney was there to lend a hand and support Sarah and Trevor in school activities, scouting events (many will remember the 500 boxes of Girl Scout cookies he helped Sarah sell each year), and college endeavors. Rodney loved camping, fishing, hiking, sailing, and scuba diving, and looked forward to annual summer trips to Chincoteague Island with his children and his brother, Richard. An avid adventurer, Rodney backpacked the California coast, camped in the Montana mountains, visited several National Parks across the country, visited St. Thomas and Grand Cayman Island in the Caribbean, and took a road trip from LA to VA, stopping to visit historic sites along the way. His last adventure trip was with his family to West Virginia, back to his family roots in Crawley/Kieffer, WV. Rodney will be dearly missed by all. The nature of his presence brought calm and comfort to everyone, and his witty humor, always timed just right, gave one pause followed by hearty laughter. He was looking forward to retiring this summer to relax and catch up on home projects. Rodney worked hard every day of his life, even more so after suffering a massive stroke ten years ago that he fought tooth and nail to miraculously recover from even when the doctors were convinced he never would. In fact, if you didn’t know he’d had a stroke, you would have never known he’d had a stroke. Though our hearts are broken and full of sadness, now it is time to let him rest with the Lord. While the family requests privacy at this time as they mourn Rodney’s passing, please provide your remembrances, photos, and anecdotes here on the website; they would be greatly appreciated and cherished. In lieu of flowers, it is requested that donations be made to the American Heart Association in Rodney's honor; select "Honor a Loved One" on the American Heart Association home page to make a donation. (www.heart.org) Visitations will be held at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, VA on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 from 2:00pm-4:00pm and at 6:00pm-8:00pm. On Thursday, June 24, 2021, a funeral service will be held at 11:00am. Friends may visit with the family at the chapel that morning from 10:00am until the time of service at 11:00am. This service may be viewed via livestreaming due to COVID-19 restrictions. To view the service livestream and recording please come back to this obituary website. We will be streaming directly to this obituary’s tribute wall. The video will display as a post on the tribute wall when we start the service. Please click play when the video is posted and available. If you are having technical difficulty you can view this service later as the video is recorded and will remain on this page. We appreciate your understanding during these extremely difficult times.

Tributes

Rodney Charles Metcalfe

December 19, 1955 - June 7, 2021