Freehold Twp Mom 'Always Had A Bright Smile To Share'

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ — As investigators continue to search for answers in the murder of a Freehold Township woman and the apparent suicide of her husband, the community is pulling together to support the couple's three daughters. As of Saturday, more than $80,000 had been raised by families from local schools to help the children.

A GoFundme campaign was set up by classmates of Denise Bartone's daughters and condolence comments filled both the GoFundme and the Facebook page of Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine church, where her funeral was scheduled to be held on Saturday.

"(She was a) wonderful human being that did so much for the Freehold community," Vito Bilotta wrote on the church's Facebook page, which shared Denise Bartone's obituary. Visitation for the 48-year-old mother was Thursday and Friday at Clayuton & McGirr Funeral Home, and the funeral Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday.

A prayer vigil held Monday at the church where Denise Bartone was an active parishoner and volunteer drew more than 1,000 people, the Asbury Park Press reported, with many remembering her as filled with love and compassion, and always working to better the lives of others.

"Denise was such a wonderful person, an amazing mom, a tremendous volunteer to our community," Jessica Soto wrote on the church's Facebook page.

"Denise was such a beautiful person with a heart of gold," Janet Badrick wrote on the GoFundme. "I am sending prayers to her beautiful girls and family members to give them the strength to get through these tough times."

"Your mother is an amazing, beautiful lady inside and out. She always had a bright smile to share, and friendly words to greet with," Danielle Masterson-Mills wrote.

"This unexpected and sudden loss was a devastating blow not only to the Bartones, but to the community as well," the organizers, Matt Su, Aidan Matthews, Olivia Park and Sam Mueller, wrote on the GoFundme, which they said was created with the approval of the girls' aunt. "As classmates and friends of the Bartones, we are reaching out for prayers, strength, and donations for the Bartone family."

Monsignor Sam A. Sirianni of Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine told the Asbury Park Press Denise Bartone had been deeply committed to the church as well, calling her "a woman of faith and a woman whose heart was filled with a lot of love."

Authorities still have not released a timeline of events or information on how Denise Bartone was killed. She was killed inside the family's Koster Drive home, where police were seen at 7:30 a.m. Monday.

A Bartone family car was found on the Thomas Edison Memorial Bridge that carries Route 9 over the Raritan River on Monday morning. New Jersey State Police pulled Kenneth Bartone's body from the river shortly before 2 p.m. Authorities said it appears to be suicide but they have not definitively said the 53-year-old killed his wife.

Denise Bartone had just resumed pursuing her career in June 2018, working as a marketing specialist with the Rutgers Food Innovation Center in Piscataway, where she was project director of the Food Industry Talent Network.

She had been heavily involved with fundraising and other volunteer efforts for the Freehold Township Education Foundation, including spending the 2017-2018 school year as chairing the foundation's board of trustees. Read more: Freehold Twp Murder-Suicide: What We've Learned

Kenneth Bartone was a scientist with Honeywell International and was cited as one of the inventors in at least three patent filings. Read more: Freehold Twp Couple Dead In Murder-Suicide: Prosecutor

The investigation is continuing and anyone with information is urged to call Detective Andrea Tozzi of the prosecutor's office at 1-800-733-7443 or Freehold Township Police Detective James Burdge at 732-462-7908.

The funeral Mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine, 61 Georgia Road, Freehold Township. She will be buried in New York, the obituary said.

The family has asked for donations in Denise's name to: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105, in lieu of flowers.

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