Buffalo Township man died hours after being rescued from deep ravine

A Buffalo Township man was alive Tuesday night when authorities found him at the bottom of a deep ravine about a quarter-mile from his home following a six-hour search.

But any relief that came from finding Dennis Fester, 74, was fleeting. He was flown by emergency helicopter to Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital and pronounced dead there shortly after midnight.

The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office said Fester died from the effects of hypothermia.

“He’s going to be missed by the family,” his wife, Sally Cafiso Fester, said Wednesday. “He was the patriarch.”

Sally Fester said her husband left their home in the Sarver’s Mill housing development off Sarver Road to take a walk Tuesday afternoon. She said he often went for walks around the neighborhood, but his family didn’t like for him to be gone too long because he didn’t carry a cellphone. Fester suffered from dementia.

“He went for a walk and was usually gone for 10 minutes,” Sally Fester said. “On Tuesday, he didn’t return and we tried locating him.”

Search crews assembled about 3 p.m.

Buffalo Township Volunteer Fire Company led a search party that included five other area fire departments, township police, a LifeFlight helicopter with heat vision equipment and two search-dog teams. Numerous residents joined in the search. Officials estimated that a couple of hundred people searched for Fester.

Searchers scoured the Butler-Freeport Community Trail and nearby roads, but found nothing, said Buffalo Township fire Chief Matt Cypher.

Officials called for more help and conducted grid searches on foot, covering an area of roughly 2 square miles.

One of the search dogs picked up Fester’s scent between 9 and 10 p.m. and led rescue personnel to a 100-foot-deep ravine. Fester was spotted along a stream behind Buffalo Elementary School on Sarver Road.

Fester’s wife said her husband wasn’t known to frequent that area. Cypher said he didn’t know whether Fester had fallen.

“There’s no rhyme or reason. We were lucky to find him there,” Cypher said.

Firefighters used ropes to hoist Fester from the bottom of the deep ravine.

“It was a good team effort between emergency services and specialized services, along with the residents who came out and helped,” Cypher said.

Fester, a native of the Sarver area, was a Vietnam War veteran and retired data programmer for government contractors. He and his wife recently celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary. They met in New York and lived in the Washington, D.C., area before moving to Buffalo Township about 14 years ago. They had four children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

His wife described him as a religious man and avid reader who enjoyed doing crossword puzzles and creating artwork.

Sally Fester was appreciative of everyone who searched for her husband.

“Neighbors and strangers were driving around looking for him. The rescue teams did a fantastic job. … The fire department and police department gave 100% until they found him, when it was dark,” she said. “It was phenomenal.”