Betty Demirkan

Betty Demirkan, 91, of Little Egg Harbor, NJ passed away on Friday August 28, 2026. Betty was born, raised and lived in Brooklyn, NY until 1970 when she moved to Staten Island, NY. She graduated from Williamburgh Vocational High School in 1953 in Brooklyn, NY. During her time in Staten Island, she was a homemaker and the visionary and driving force behind the real estate empire she and her husband built together. With remarkable foresight, courage and determination and an unwavering drive, she had a gift for seeing opportunities that played an instrumental role in building the successful legacy they shared between properties in New York and New Jersey. In 1988, she moved to Little Egg Harbor, NJ, where she worked as a hotel cashier for Harrah’s Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ until her retirement. She was a child of the Lord at an early age and was a member of the Mystic Island Baptist Church now called Great Bay Gospel Fellowship. She enjoyed playing poker with her friends and especially enjoyed playing blackjack and pai gow at the casino. Throughout her life she enjoyed traveling and most of all spending time with her children and grandchildren. She was also an animal lover, especially her cats Blackjack and Miss Jefferson and was a devoted supporter of animal welfare, generously donating to the IFAW, International Fund for Animal Wildlife.

Betty was predeceased by her parents Meyer and Celia Schreiber, her spouse of 36 years and father of her children Hamit Demirkan and her son-in-law James E. Mattina.

She is survived by her loving children Jangiz Demirkan of Tinton Falls, NJ and Kimberly Mattina of Little Egg Harbor, NJ, grandchildren James Mattina and wife Emily and Kyle Mattina and fiancé Chrissy and great-granddaughter Ella Mattina.

Cremation will be private and an interment of ashes will take place at a later date in Greenwood Cemetery, Tuckerton, NJ.