Betty Premus

Betty Premus, age 88 of Barnegat, and formerly of Wayne, died peacefully on Thursday, July 25, 2024.  She had been a bookkeeper and manager for several companies, the last and most notable for 25 years, Tires of Wayne. Betty and her husband Rocky moved to Barnegat 19 years ago.

Betty was born in West New York and resided with her parents Elizabeth (Dinga) and Stephen Zilavy, and older brother Vladamir. Two doors down lived a young man Graziano “Rocky” Premus. The two began dating and were married on October 5, 1957, for fifty-seven years; enjoying a honeymoon in Niagara Falls. They began raising their family in Weehawken and North Bergen before building a home in Wayne.

September of 1967, Betty answered an employment ad for a bookkeeper, which was then Tires of Wayne, and was hired by then manager Frank Kaiser. Betty and Frank had a good working relationship. Unbeknownst to all, this is where the bond and family friendship began between Art Wichman, the Kaplans and Premuses. She may have started as a bookkeeper, but became the Manager and held the position until 1992. Betty was well respected with others in the tire business, especially being male dominant. Soon she was known as “Betty from Tires of Wayne”. Art’s Tire Service (wholesale) and satellite store, Tires of Wayne were owned by Art Wichman & Richard Kaplan. As time went on, Betty, Art and Richard worked closely together and a mutual admiration was born. Betty ran the retail sector well, and through Art, learned other business acumens.

After raising her children, Annette Kaplan wanted to enter the workforce. She and her father Art Wichman discussed possibilities and mentioned getting into tire sales. Since Arts Tire had a small retail sector, Annette thought it would be a good fit. She trained with Betty learning retail sales and while training had the opportunity to do a local radio commercial; as both locations were Michelin distributors. Their jingle was “Come see us, we are the Michelin Girls”.

Annette and Richard had a summer home on LBI, where Betty and Rocky visited. Rocky was a lover of the shore and Betty not so much. While visiting, Annette & Betty enjoyed each other’s company and other activities. Thinking about their retirement home, Betty and Rocky asked if they would take them around to see neighboring towns. Kiddingly Annette said “if you move, we’ll move”. Upon going home to Wayne, they discussed the towns they visited. On a Saturday afternoon at 5pm, Betty and Rocky called Annette & Richard stating they want to move to Barnegat. Are you both serious about moving? The Kaplan family were all present and they talked it over with their children. The answer was yes. Betty and Rocky moved down, Annette and Richard followed. Betty continued to work for awhile with Annette on family business.

Betty was a wonderful wife, loving mother, raising two children, and maintaining a household while working. Betty and Rocky were supportive of their children’s school and extracurricular activities. They were both present in their lives. Betty, along with her son Dan, loved the Dallas Cowboys. Betty would often call Dan to talk during games and after, sharing their critique of the game. She also enjoyed the family dogs, especially her beloved “Bootsie”.

Betty was an avid reader with Mary Higgins Clark being one of her favorite authors. She had her own book club (with Mary in Wayne), sharing books with neighbors and friends. Her other interests were crossword and word search puzzles. During the winter Betty and Rocky would enjoy doing large jigsaw puzzles which were mounted and displayed around the house.

Betty and Rocky were fortunate to have wonderful and caring neighbors in both Wayne and Barnegat. She enjoyed her four-legged neighbors (her puppies) as well. Betty enjoyed sitting outside and greeting the neighbors’ dogs. Of course, they enjoyed it as well; as she had treats waiting for them.

Betty is survived by her two children Susie Premus of West Milford and companion Rob Isnardi of Totowa, and Dan Premus of McKinney, Texas, as well as many nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her husband Graziano Premus, parents Elizabeth and Stephen, brother Vladamir and nephew Charlie.

Friends wishing to make a donation in Betty’s memory are asked to select a charity of your choice.

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