Jerry Anderson
Jerry and his wife, Betty, have been married for 45 years and have three grown children and six grandchildren. His entire working life has been in educational technical sales and for many years was employed by Lab Voit Systems in Wall Township as Vice President of Sales. During this time he traveled extensively in the United States and had a two-year assignment traveling throughout Asia in China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, Korea, Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Singapore. Jerry left the company in 1990 to begin his own business as a technical sales distributor of teaching systems to public schools in New Jersey and New York, and he is still actively involved in that venture with his daughter, Cherie Matthews.
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Elmire (Ellie) Buannic
Ellie was born and grew up in New York City and is a graduate of Barrington College in Rhode Island. She lived in Paris, France, was married in Zurich, Switzerland, and spent the last of her ten years in Europe in Munich, Germany. Her four children were all born in France; and as proud as she is of them, she is equally proud of her six grandchildren. When her children were all in school, Ellie opened up a local travel agency called “Travel with Ellie,” and sold it when she decided she needed to spend more time serving the Lord. It is Ellie’s strong belief that it is her faith in God that gives her life direction and peace, and she is happy that she is now able to devote much of her time to church programs. She keeps busy these days as a lay pastor, Bible study leader for a PW circle, director of the Alpha program, and as an elder on the Evangelism Commission. Ellie is also an active member of the Intercessory Prayer Group that meets every Wednesday morning.
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Richard Chapman
Except for four years in the U.S. Air Force, Rich has lived his entire life in Wall Township. He has been married to his wife, Ada, (also a life-long Wall resident) for 47 years, and they have been members of our church for over 40 years. They have three daughters who also were raised in this church and who have blessed them with seven grandchildren. He considers himself very fortunate to have his family live locally so that they can spend a lot of time together. Rich worked over 25 years for Continental and CNA Insurance Companies; and during that time, he earned the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation. He retired as a senior vice president and then spent three years as an insurance systems consultant. In addition to church activities, Rich spends his leisure time playing golf and attending the athletic activities of his grandkids. Even though Rich is a long-time member of the church, he has only recently felt called to step out in faith and become more actively involved by serving as an elder on the Administration Commission.
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Linda Eisnaugle
Linda Eisnaugle and her husband, Jack, moved from North New Jersey to Wall in 1997. They joined our church in 1998 and have been active members ever since. Linda has previously served as a deacon and also as an elder on the Evangelism Commission, and she currently holds the position of Clerk of Session. Linda also is the leader of the PW Esther Circle and participates in several Bible studies. Linda believes that her faith has deepened and that her love for the Lord Jesus Christ has grown as a result of her experiences here at First Presbyterian Church.
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John Garrigan
John was raised in South Orange, NJ and graduated from Upsala College with a degree in biology. John and his wife, Susan, have been married for 18 years and are the parents of three daughters, 15, 12, and 8. John is currently employed as a VP in sales and marketing for Silipos, Inc., a gel technology company based out of New York City. He and his family have lived in Wall for the past 15 years and have been attending our church for most of that time, officially joining about four years ago. Hobbies include fishing, boating and golfing whenever he can get free time. Coaching softball for all three of his girls is another activity that he has very much enjoyed. John currently serves on Session as chair of the Stewardship Commission. He and Susan truly enjoy being active in the church, as well as their children, who have been happily involved in youth group. He states that serving the Lord is a blessing to the entire family.
Richard Haskin
Dick is originally from Kansas City, Missouri, but has lived and traveled to many parts of the United States, Spain, and Italy as a result of his work for the Prudential Insurance Company as Vice President of Marketing. After many moves (eight to ten), he landed in Short Hills, New Jersey where he retired. Five years ago, Dick and his wife, Ginny, found their way to the shore and now live in Wall at Four Seasons. They also discovered our church, and Dick now serves as an elder on the Stewardship Commission. He and Ginny are the parents of four grown children--three sons and a daughter, whom Dick proudly reports is an ordained minister. Having a great fondness for the beach, Dick enjoys his summer job as a badge checker. He states that his faith has always remained a most important part of his life throughout his travels and many transfers.
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Anne Heinrichs
Anne is a lifelong resident of Brielle where she resides with her husband, Mark and their son. She is a graduate of Rutgers University where she earned a B.A. in Psychology and later obtained a M.S. in Professional Counseling from Monmouth University. Currently, she is employed as a counselor with Wellspring Counseling Center in Wall Township. In addition, she is a volunteer counselor at Jersey Shore University Medical Center. She joined our church in 2005 and now serves as an elder on the Nurture Commission. Anne feels truly blessed to be a part of this church family and enjoys meeting new people and planning fellowship events. She feels a strong calling to serve the Lord and hopes to use her gifts and talents in her ministry here as an elder and in her professional life as a Christian counselor.
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John Holloway
John has lived on the Jersey Shore his entire life, residing in Point Pleasant, Brielle, and Manasquan. After graduating from Point Pleasant High School, he received a B.A. from Trenton State College and then attended Monmouth University to earn a Master’s in Science. He later returned to Trenton State to obtain his Ed.D. in Education Administration. After serving as principal of Toms River South High School for 25 years, he retired and now does some consulting when he’s not golfing, fishing, or duck hunting. John and his wife, Diane, have been married for 46 years and have four children and three grandchildren with another on the way. They feel blessed to be able to spend a lot of time with their family as they all live locally. John believes that his faith provides an anchor for him, and he gives thanks each day for the gifts God had given him. As an elder on the Personnel Commission, John wants to use his professional skills and experience to continue to make our church a place “Where God’s love meets your life.”
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Sean Kennedy
Sean was born in Plainfield, New Jersey but moved to this area as a teen and graduated from Wall High School. He then attended West Virginia Wesleyan College, graduating in 1981 with a B.S. in Business. He met his wife, Linda, at college, and they have been married for 26 years and are the proud parents of two daughters and two sons. Sean operates his own business, Auto Diagnostics—a full-service repair facility. His hobbies include vacationing with Linda and their children, snowmobiling with anyone who will join him, and laughing a lot with his family and friends. He is a big fan of the NFL and Nascar and loves to play pinochle. Sean was ordained as an elder in 2006 and currently chairs the Worship Commission.
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Richard Kuntz
Rich is a New Jersey native, growing up in Toms River. It was during his sophomore year at Toms River High that he met Mickey, who became his high school sweetheart and later his wife. They have two grown children and six grandchildren, all of whom currently attend our Sunday school each week. Five years ago, Rich retired from Monmouth University where he spent his career as a professor of mathematics. He has been a member of our church for 35 years and now serves as an elder on the Property Commission and also is active in assisting his wife in the management of the Food Pantry. He spends his leisure time on his hobbies which include carpentry and genealogy. Richard attributes his attendance as a child at the Island Heights Methodist Church to an early development of his faith and his lifelong relationship with the Lord.
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Cherie Matthews
Cherie has lived in the Manasquan/Brielle area most of her life and now resides in Brielle. She is married to Bob, and they are the parents of two teenage daughters. Cherie is a descendant of one of the founding families of our church; and as such, has a sense of pride in all that has occurred here and has a personal motto, “This is my church, and I will work extra hard to make it good.” Cherie has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University and an MBA from Rider University. She is self employed in sales for three different companies and feels this is the best way to strike a happy balance between work, home, and serving others. In her spare time, she likes to play tennis, read, garden, and hang out with her family. Cherie has served three terms as an elder: twice on the Worship Commission and now on the Nurture Commission. She also teaches the Family Matters Class with Cindy Davis. When Cherie was asked the question, “What is the one thing you would like people to know about you?” she answered, “I like to serve by doing whatever needs to be done!”
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Susan Morales
Susyn grew up in our church and became a member, she says, “many, many moons ago!” She is happily married to Jules and loves being a stepmom to her man/child, Julian. She is a career management consultant for Right Management and likes the fact that she can work from home. As an elder, Susan co-chairs the Worship Commission and enjoys being part of the weekly challenges that it brings. She is the baking coordinator for the Christian Café and part of the team that serves our youth groups. Hobbies include baking and reading, but spending time with her family tops the list.
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Betsy Orner
Betsy grew up in a small town in West Virginia and met her husband, Lance while they were attending West Virginia Wesleyan College. They have been married for 42 years and have a married daughter and two grandchildren. Their daughter recently joined our church, and her children attend our Sunday school. Betsy and her husband moved frequently, but lived in Pittsburgh for 21 years. Ten of those years, however, were spent traveling back and forth to Manasquan where they had a vacation home. Since their daughter and her family and Betsy’s best friend from college had already established homes here in Manasquan, they decided to settle here as well. Betsy had a teaching career, worked in a bank, and had her own children’s consignment shop for 12 years. Betsy joined our church three years ago, transferring her membership from a Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh where she served two terms as a deacon and was a member of a Koininia group. She is now serving as an elder on the Evangelism Commission.
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Barbara Samson
Barbara is a long-time member of the Presbyterian Church, having joined as a teenager. With the exception of the two years she lived in London, Barbara has spent her adult life in New Jersey and moved to “the shore” in 2000. She is married to Alex (Sandy), and they have four grown children and seven grandchildren (#8 is on the way) under the age of eight), and all live in New Jersey. In London, Barbara and two other Americans started the first Bible study class for the Kensington Chelsea Women’s Club. As a member for many years at Grace Presbyterian Church in Montclair, NJ, Barbara was the area liaison for the 1991 Billy Graham Crusade in New York City, and she served as moderator of the Pastor Nominating Committee that called an Associate Pastor whose ministry continued for ten years. Her passion is missions, and she is currently the chairperson of the Mission Commission and is completing her final year as an elder. For fun, Barbara enjoys playing golf and creating on her pottery wheel.
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Sue Swiggart
Sue grew up in Cranford, New Jersey and has lived at the Jersey Shore since 1990. She resides in Manasquan with her husband, James, and their two children. She attended The College of New Jersey where she earned a B.S. in Accounting and a Master’s in Education. She is substitute teacher at Point Pleasant Borough High School and also does some bookkeeping work at home for several businesses. In her spare time, Sue enjoys reading and going to the beach. Sue is a devoted Christian and views Jesus as omnipresent in her life, serving as a source of peace, love, guidance, and help. She feels drawn to serve here at our church and is looking forward to using her gifts and talents by serving as an elder on the Christian Education Commission.
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Don Van Houten
Don Van Houten grew up in North Jersey and attended Newark College of Engineering, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He currently works for the Department of Community Affairs, regulating the amusement industry in New Jersey. Prior to his move to this area, Don lived in Hamilton Township, where he served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church of Yardville. Since 2001, he has been residing in Brielle with his wife, Chris, and their three young adult children. He joined our church in 2004 after his two daughters became members as part of the Confirmation Class. Since then he has helped at the Asbury Park Soup Kitchen, assisted as a kitchen worker at various church events, and served three years on the Board of Deacons. He is currently serving as an elder on the Finance Commission and as Expense Treasurer for By Faith We Build. He is also a member of our Interfaith Hospitality Network team. Don says he is honored to have been elected to the Session and looks forward to helping our congregation grow in its Christian life.
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Janice Visceglia
Janice grew up in Union, New Jersey where she graduated from high school and attended the Connecticut Farms Presbyterian Church. She attended Martland Medical Center (now Newark College of Medicine and Dentistry) and earned her R.N. After graduation, she worked at Overlook Hospital and lived in Morris Township prior to moving to Brielle in 1976. Janice has four grown children and seven grandchildren and feels blessed to have them all living nearby. Janice says that it was the friendships she established and the loving atmosphere that she found in our church that moved her to join this church family. She and her daughter have participated in four church mission trips and found them to be a wonderful spiritual experience and one that neither of them will ever forget. Janice has served as a deacon and is now an elder on the Mission Commission. Recognizing that there are many areas of need, and that anything is possible when we work together (the commission’s new slogan is “Mission Possible),” Janice is looking forward to some new projects.
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Mike Wonsala
Mike and his wife, Laura, joined our church as an engaged couple in 2005, and they were married several months thereafter. Mike grew up in Wall and continues to reside there with Laura and their two-month-old daughter. He is a graduate of Monmouth University, where he majored in Business Management and minored in Criminal Justice. Mike is presently the Director of Purchasing for K. Hovnanian Homes and feels that his work experience is helpful to him as an elder on the Property Commission.
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Cathy Young
Cathy joined our church about five years ago and currently resides in Howell with her husband, Bill. They are the parents of two grown sons, one of whom lives in Belmar, and the other in the Boston area. Cathy grew up attending Air Force Protestant chapels as she moved from place to place, living in 11 states including New Jersey; and as a result of those many transfers, she has been a member of Baptist, Lutheran, and Methodist churches over the years. She is presently employed as a high school librarian in Ocean Township, where she has taught for 22 years. She was elected to the Session this year and is serving as an elder for Adult Christian Education. Although Cathy loves New Jersey, she spends her summers in New Hampshire, where she and Bill hope to retire in a few years.
