About Us

Our Staff

Our staff is comprised of dedicated and licensed professionals with the experience to answer all your questions regarding our services. Please feel free to contact any of our staff members at any time.

Daniel Enea

Owner & Funeral Director

Email: director@mohawkvalleyfunerals.com


Daniel was born and proudly raised in Little Falls, NY (Herkimer County), son of Harry Enea, Jr., and Sheila Holleran. His grandparents were Harry Enea, Sr. and Lucy Covouto and Edward Holleran and Grace Hadcock. Dan is extremely proud of his Irish and Italian roots. His brothers are Harry, III, Kevin (Kristy), and Andrew (Darcie) Enea. A 1998 graduate of Little Falls High School and a 2000 graduate with SUNY Institute of Mortuary Science at Canton, he received his funeral director license in May of 2001 from the International Conference of Funeral Service. Dan was also selected to serve on the SUNY Canton Mortuary Science Advisory Board. He immediately followed his dream of serving those in need, joining the family business immediately after graduating from Canton. He also worked for a year in Boston at the Mann and Rodgers Funeral Home, Jamaica Plain, prior to beginning his career in the Mohawk Valley.

Dan served as one of the four Herkimer County Coroners from 2007-2011, and was a member of the New York State Association of County Coroners and Medical Examiners where he received board accreditation in 2009. He served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board from 2002-2011. He was the youngest person in NYS to serve as coroner. He resigned the position to begin his own business. 

 

Daniel is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Mohawk Valley Rotary Club (since 2001), Elks Lodge, former member of the Herkimer Lions Club, Ilion Moose Lodge and belongs to the New York State/National Funeral Directors Association. Every once and a while, you can find him on the golf course, only to play a round to support someone or an event in need.

In his spare time, he enjoys volunteering his time to the community, taking care of those less fortunate or going through a difficult time, and being mindful of his own physical health. He also enjoys attending concerts. He proudly worked with Kenyon International Disaster Management Team, Houston, Texas, and took part in rescue and recovery efforts during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, following the floods in New Orleans and surrounding areas. In 2007, he was deployed to Pennsylvania to assist in the recovery process for a large Coroner office where a water main break flooded several offices and damaged morgue equipment. Enea, one of three Kenyon Operations Specialists, was involved in the set up of the Houston-based portable morgue. In 2015, he spent several weeks in Haiti with recovering victims of the earthquake that crippled the Purta Prince. He worked with Kenyon as their Incident Commander during the Manhattan, NY COVID response, overseeing the response alongside the National Guard for nearly a month in the year of 2020.

 

Daniel once served on the New York State Family Assistance Program (FAC) through the NYS Funeral Directors Association and also on their Governmental Action Committee. He was a past member of the Tri-County Funeral Director Association, serving as their past vice president. In 2008, he was selected to serve on the United Way of the Valley and Greater Utica Area Campaign Cabinet. In 2010, he was appointed a member of the Little Falls Community Chest Board and the Catholic Charity Board. He at one time was on the Boy Scouts of America Nominating Committee. He served as co-chairman of the first "Get Fit" weekend, which would give local youths an opportunity to discover exercise and learn to be active. On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Dan put together a 10th anniversary memorial walk in Herkimer and in St. Johnsville. The huge success attracted nearly 300 people, an event that was free to the public. Dan received the prestigious Genesis Group "Leaders under 40 Award" in 2011. He was licensed in Florida for two years where he operated a funeral home and gained much valuable experience. While in Florida, he began volunteering for the BASE CAMP organization, in support of children suffering from cancer. He became so passionate with this organization that he became a board member and still remains in this position. Before returning to New York to go out on his own and while building his business, he worked for many CNY funeral homes including DeMarco Stone Funeral Home, RJ DeLuccia (who has become one of Dan’s dearest friends), Betz, Rossi, Bellinger and Chase-Smith Family.  He served at one time on the Joseph’s Experience Board (supporting childhood cancer), New Hartford and also on the National Log Cabin Republican Board of Directors, an organization that strives to allow equal rights for all in the Republican Party, nationwide. Dan is a proud member of the 2017 Leadership Mohawk Valley Class, where he made many close friends under the leadership of Ann Rushlo. From 2015-2018, Dan served on the Herkimer County Historical Society Board. In 2018, he proudly accepted and received the Herkimer Elks Lodge Citizen of the Year Award. 


He is the founder of the annual Veteran/First Responder Picnic which is a free community event that has attracted hundreds of people and has been operating for several years. He began this venture immediately after returning from Florida (2013). In 2021, he conducted his second memorial walk to memorialize the victims of 911 on the 20th anniversary. Local nursing homes bus in their residents to enjoy the event in support of our first responders and veterans.

 

In 2017, Dan graduated the Firefighter 1 class in Frankfort, NY making him a certified New York State Interior Firefighter. He is a very active and proud member with the East Herkimer Fire Department, where he also serves on the board of directors. He actively fought fires alongside EHFD at the former Crystal Chandelier and the Country Club on Route 5 in Little Falls. Dan also worked as a 911 dispatcher with Herkimer County Emergency Services.

 

In 2018, he was the proud parent of two exchange students, Samuele (Italy), Martin (Czech Republic) who were enrolled in Little Falls High School and also hosted Emanuele (Italy) who graduated from LF High in 2022. Dan enjoys traveling to Europe, especially Italy, where he has reconnected with his exchange students and their family. Dan is also a proud supporter of the American Red Cross where he began volunteering in 2018. He has been deployed with the Red Cross during the North Carolina flooding event and also in 2022 with the Colorado Wild Fires serving as a Program Manager. His specialty with the Red Cross is Governmental Operations and is active on their Disaster Action Team. In May of 2022, Dan was appointed to the Herkimer/Oneida County HOOAD (Herkimer Oneida Organizations Active in Disaster) Executive Committee. Also in 2022, United Way chose Dan to be one of their “100 Local Heroes” in recognition of his contributions to the Mohawk Valley, being recognized with many other dedicated community servants. The event took place in Utica.


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