Meet our Board Members
Aart Markenstien
President
Art markentstiens, is the husband of our late president Eileen Markenstien. He has helped the cemetery sinced 2008. He know leads the all volunteer mission at the historical Harsimus Cemetery.
Jorge Avales
Vice President
Jorge is the Vice President of our board. He is a long-time Jersey City resident and has a special connection with family members buried at the Harsimus Cemetery.
Michele LaMonica Egar
Director
Michele La-Monica Egar was born and raised in Jersey City and resides in her Downtown Jersey City home with her wonderful family. Michele is extremely community-oriented and serves on the Board of Directors of the Jersey City Parks Coalition, as well as Landscape Director and Board Director for the Historic Jersey City & Harsimus Cemetery.
Frank DeMarco
Trustee
Frank, a born and raised New Yorker, is a recent transplant to Jersey City where in 2007 he moved his business, Outside The Box Interactive, and his home to Jersey City's Powerhouse Arts District. Fascination with the rich history of the Powerhouse naturally led him to discover the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery.
Florence Holmes
Board Member
Florence Holmes is a long-time Jersey City resident, who enjoys spending her time volunteering around the community. She is an active board member of the Jersey City Park Coalition.
JoAnn Northgrave
Board Member
JoAnn worked at Hudson County Office of Veteran Affairs over 10 years and is now getting back into the workforce after raising two children. Before children, she taught high school business for 10 years. She graduated from Jersey City State with a degree in Business Administration. She has a family of her husband Bill, her children - Jessie and Sean, and a grandchild on the way!
Meet our Team
Dancin' Tony
Entertainment Director
Anthony “Dancing Tony “Susco moved to Jersey City in 1995 and for the last 27 years has been a staple of the Jersey City art and music scene. He runs social events for Groove on Grove as well as concerts for our very own Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery! To learn more about him you can visit his website Rock-it Docket, his official website,
John
Groundskeeper
Our Veteran, John Wilson or "digger" has been our groundskeeper for almost a decade. He helps with the upkeep of our cemetery needs, including the garden, feeding goats and preserving the beauty of our beloved cemetery!
Simran Nazareth
Apiary Director
Simran is our head beekeeper and social media manager. She started our apiary in 2022 and has since tripled the number of hives. Simran works closely with local beekeepers to help our honey bees thrive. When she isn't beekeeping or harvesting "Harsimus Honey," she enjoys playing soccer on the McNair High School Varsity team. For more information on our apiary, or how to buy our honey visit our Instagram or our Apiary page.
Jill
Head of 4-H
(Harismus Location)
Jill, originally from Connecticut, moved to Jersey City via New York, in 1989. She has had an interest in Cemeteries and Gardening since Childhood, so an abandoned and overgrown cemetery was intriguing to her! Fast forward to 2016, Jill became a Rutgers Master Gardener, and in Collaboration with Eileen Markenstein, and Rutgers, 4-H began the Youth Urban Farm Club there. Jill has been involved in other Jersey City gardening programs and is a member of the Hudson County 4-H Advisory Board.
Amanda Kaut
Codirector of 4-H
(Harsimus Location)
Amanda grew up in the rural South where agriculture and nature were integral to everyday life. When she moved to Jersey City in 2005, she instantly fell in love with the city but missed the connection to cultivating the land. As a founding member of the Hudson County 4-H Advisory Board, she is thrilled to bring urban agriculture to Hudson County's youth at the Historic Jersey City and Harsimus Cemetery.
Scarface
Cat/Bodyguard
Scarface is our residential cat and bodyguard. John named her after the scratch below her eye. If you visit our grounds, you will probably spot her sunbathing on the driveway or exploring the garden.