Jeffrey Bartlett Sr.

With much love spread and many memories shared, our beloved Jeffrey accepted God’s invitation into the Kingdom on Sunday, September 7, 2025, at Capital Health Systems at Hopewell in Hopewell, New Jersey. We continue to shine bright as he transitions, knowing the heavens are newly lit with extra measures of love, joy, peace, and laughter. 

Jeffrey L. Bartlett, Sr. was born December 12, 1960, in Princeton, New Jersey to Robert Bartlett, Sr. and Lucy Bartlett. He lived the last 36 years in Hopewell Borough, building a life marked by creativity, warmth, and quiet mastery.  

A graduate of Ewing High School, Jeffrey was drafted by the New York Mets straight out of high school, a nod to his athleticism and lifelong love for baseball. Even as his professional life pivoted from sport to service, the athlete’s discipline and teammate’s spirit remained central to his way of being. 

He later attended Johnson & Wales University, deepening his love for cooking into a professional craft. He became chef and owner of Bell and Whistle Restaurant in Hopewell, and in more recent years, launched TOTL Food, where he taught online cooking classes and shared curated culinary experiences.  

Creative to the core, he never hoarded knowledge, he shared it freely, joyfully, and generously. 

Music was Jeffrey’s other lifelong language. He began on the drums, then taught himself piano so he could found the youth choir The Voices of Calvary. He later formed the band Divinity, which played regularly with church choirs and local singing groups across the region. The music was never just performance, it was ministry, mentorship, and joy. For years, Divinity played at Second Calvary Baptist Church and New Fellowship Church, among other venues.  

A builder by nature, Jeffrey combined his culinary and musical talents into TOTL. Vip, a digital platform created by his son, Jeffrey Jr., allowing his voice, rhythms, and recipes to reach the world. The site remains a living archive of the art and soul he cultivated.  

Jeffrey worshiped at New Fellowship Church, where he was a founding member and Deacon. His faith informed every rhythm of his life: quiet, steady, devoted. Whether designing a dish, leading a choir, or fathering a dream, he moved with intention: make it true, make it beautiful, make it last. 

Jeffrey was predeceased by his father, Robert Bartlett, Sr.; his brothers, Robert Bartlett, Jr. and Blair Bartlett; and his sister, Sharon Bartlett. He is survived by his wife, Donna Bartlett; his son, Jeffrey Bartlett, Jr.; his mother, Lucy Bartlett; his aunt, Lottie Leonard; and a loving host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and many friends who will forever carry his melody, memory, and light. 

In lieu of more words, Jeffrey might have offered a simple invitation: come to the table, break bread, listen closely, and love one another well. That was his way. And that timeless, refined, and true, is how he will be remembered. 

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