Peter John Mettam was born in England in 1930 to James Harry Mettam, an artist and photographer, and Margaret Louisa Passmore, a health food advocate from a musical family. After the passing of his father in 1937, Peter attended multiple boarding schools in the English countryside during WWII, where he developed a quiet strength and curiosity that would carry him through life. He went on to earn an engineering degree in London, and after completing his studies he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF), thus beginning a lifelong fascination with flight and aerospace  engineering.

 

In 1958, Peter moved to the United States to join  his fiancée, Emma Jean Kirk. Together they made their home in the Washington, D.C. area where they shared 67 years of marriage and raised a family. Peter worked for Booz Allen Hamilton until retirement and Jean taught at Howard University until a mid-life career shift to real estate. After  Jean passed in 2024, Peter remained a strong and ever-present member of his neighborhood in Potomac, Maryland, through long walks with the family dog, Daisy.

 

Peter is survived by Daisy, and by his three sons—Kirk (Lisa Couturier), Terry, and John (Laura Cromwell), and his three granddaughters, Cara (Terry’s daughter), and Madeleine and Lucienne (Kirk’s daughters). He will be remembered for his kindness, his gentle wit, and the thoughtful interactions he had with all who knew him.