- Date Of Birth: March 24, 1951
- Date Of Death: January 6, 2022
- State: Illinois
PEORIA – Dr. George Metcalfe Johnson, 70, passed away peacefully Jan. 6, 2022, at his home in Peoria, Illinois, with his loving wife, Colleen Otto Johnson, at his side. George was a pediatric infectious disease specialist who cared deeply for his patients. He was shown that same love and care by his wife Colleen, her son David, and David’s wife Ashley in his final years battling a rare form of Alzheimer’s disease.
George was born March 24, 1951, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, to Catherine “Georgia” Smith Johnson and George R Johnson.
George graduated from Hope College in Holland Michigan in 1973, and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill in 1977. George completed his pediatric residency at the University of Connecticut, where he also served as Chief Resident, and his infectious disease fellowship at the University of Minnesota.
Our family would like to thank the friends and family who supported us through the four years of this devastating illness.
George was a gentleman and a scholar, a thoughtful, kind, and sweet man, beloved by many. To know George was to love him, and as one friend said: That had everything to do with who George was. He loved his wife Colleen, his family and friends, his patients, the Tar Heels, music, butterflies and falling asleep five minutes into a movie. George was a generous civic minded and socially conscious humanitarian who always cared for and supported those around him. George adored his sons and stepson and was most proud of their generosity. Even with dementia, George continued to fall in love with Colleen over and over again. So, after 13 years of marriage, he proposed again and again throughout the last year. He was giddy with excitement when Colleen said yes – every time. We plan to have a private celebration of George’s life in the spring, his favorite time of year, when we are likely to see our first butterfly.
