Memorial Mass Set for Former Morris County Clerk Killed by Husband

Friends, family and community will have the opportunity to celebrate the life of Joan Bramhall, the retired Morris County Clerk who was killed by her husband, John, in a murder-suicide on Aug. 7.

A Memorial Mass is set for Joan and John Bramhall on Sunday, Sept. 21 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Denville at 2 p.m., according to her obituary.

Funeral arrangements for the couple where held privately.

Joan Bramhall, 78, was found shot dead in her Denville home on Aug. 7. John Bramhall was also discovered by authorities, and an investigation revealed the husband carried out a murder-suicide.

Joan Bramhall was born in Jersey City and grew up in Lake Hiawatha. She married John Bramhall on Dec. 17, 1960. The couple moved to the Denville in 1980, the obituary said.

Joan Bramhall spent her adult life entrenched in politics both local and nationally, working as an aide to Barbara Curran and office manager for United States Congressman Dean Gallo.

Bramhall then worked as a coordinator on the Ronald Reagan and George Bush Presidential campaigns, also serving as the chairman of the Morris County Republican Committee.

She then served as a Morris County Freeholder from 1993 to 1998, alongside now-Governor Chris Christie. From 1999 to 2012, Bramhall served as Morris County’s Clerk.

Bramhall is survived by two sons, a daughter and nine grandchildren.

Memorial donations can be made to Alzheimer’s Association, 400 Morris Avenue, Suite 251, Denville, NJ 07834.

Photo courtesy Norman Dean Funeral Home.