Daniel M. Enerson, 95, of Smicksburg, passed away on February 5, 2018 peacefully at home.

Daniel was born on 12 April 1922 in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Glen Ellyn, IL, where he graduated from high school. He studied medicine at the University of Chicago, graduating in 1946 as part of a US Army initiative where he achieved the rank of captain. Daniel served as the surgeon for the Federal Bureau of Prisons in Springfield, MO, serving 12 years of active military duty. After completing both his internship and residency at the University of Chicago, Daniel began a long career in the development field of cardiovascular surgery, both as a medical researcher in Syracuse, NY and Pittsburgh, PA (contributing to the early research in cellular swelling and aortic valve replacement) and as a thoracic surgeon at West Penn and Allegheny Valley Hospitals. Daniel directed research at the Veterans Administration before eventually opening his private practice in thoracic surgery in Pittsburgh. 

Daniel always loved trying new things. So in the 1970s he and his first wife, Lillian (who died in 1997), began planting grapes on a plot of land in Smicksburg, PA. That plot ultimately became Windgate Vineyards and Winery, a local destination that has won over a hundred awards in regional and international wine competitions.

Daniel is survived by his second wife, Catherine (Cay) Enerson, whom he married in 1998, his four children: Diane, Russell, Meryl, and Linda, and four grandchildren: Kimberly, Isabel, Henry, and Duncan.

No immediate services are planned. But a tribute to his memory is being planned for early spring.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a contribution to: The Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church Memorial Garden Fund, American Heart Association, or charity of your choice.