Betty Van Kerschaver

Betty C. Van Kerschaver, age 92 of Wayne, died peacefully at her home in Siena Village, Wayne, on Friday, June 7, 2019.  She had lived in West Paterson before moving to Wayne in 1952 and has recently resided at Siena Village in Wayne.

She was born on November 21, 1926 in Clifton, NJ to Walter and Catherine Schmidt (nee Tyler).  Betty attended all Clifton Schools and graduated from the Paterson Commercial College in Paterson, NJ.   She began her career at the A.B Du Mont Labs and Thomas Electronics of Passaic, NJ as the secretary to the manufacturing manager.  She retired from the Wayne Board of Education in 1997 after thirty-six years of service, first as a Café Manager of Preakness School and then thirty-one years in the Business Office.  She was a member of the Wayne Board of Education Retirees, the NJ Education Association, the National Education Association, the Passaic County Education Association, the Wayne Golden Age Circle, and the American Association of Retired Persons.  Her hobbies included knitting, crocheting, an avid reader and Bingo player.  She was also a member of Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Wayne.

Betty met her husband, Raymond, in 1949 on a blind date.  They married in September of 1951 and in 1952 they bought a home in Wayne in the old Preakness section.  Raymond passed away in December of 1994 after forty-three years of marriage and two daughters.

Betty had the forethought and courage to plan her own funeral.  When asked by the funeral director what she considered to be the highlight of her life, she responded; “the birth of my grandson, Bryan Casella.”  She went on to say; “we have a Mutual Admiration Society of our own, Bryan and I.”  She also stated that she loved her children dearly and that she had a wonderful marriage for forty-three years to her husband, Raymond, before his passing in 1994.

Betty is survived by her two daughters; Susan Foreman and her husband Alan of Surprise, Arizona, and Jessie Rae of Edison, NJ, and by her beloved grandson; Bryan Casella and his wife Jennifer of Carlstadt, NJ.

For those wishing to make a donation in Betty’s memory, please consider the Wayne Memorial First Aid Squad, P.O. Box 2004, Wayne, NJ 07474.