A 37-year-old woman killed by her husband inside their Camarillo home devoted her life to her children and cheered up those around her with her winning smile and upbeat attitude, her best friend said Wednesday.

Janet Huntington, a nurse at St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, worked at a grocery store as a single mom to put herself through nursing school to make a better life for her children, said Denise Richardson, who described herself as Huntington's "sister that her mother didn't give birth to."

Huntington was fatally shot Monday night by her husband in their home on the 5900 block of Fremont Circle, said Capt. Garo Kuredjian, of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. After shooting her, the husband turned the gun on himself and fired a single shot, Kuredjian said.

Huntington was pronounced dead at the scene and her husband, also 37, died Tuesday night at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Authorities did not release his name, but friends and family members identified him as Greg Huntington.

The Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office on Wednesday evening confirmed that Janet Huntington was killed in the Fremont Circle shooting. She died of multiple gunshot wounds and the manner of death was determined to be homicide, said Bryce Elder, a deputy medical examiner.

The Camarillo couple leaves behind four children: Janet Huntington's two sons from a previous marriage, who are 14 and 12; Greg Huntington's 8-year-old son; and the couple's 1½-year-old daughter.

The children are being cared for by relatives, Richardson said.

She said the last time she talked with Janet Huntington, on Saturday, her friend gave no indication anything was wrong.

"Actually, she said he (Greg Huntington) had been doing well," Richardson said.

Janet Huntington had told Richardson they had planned to attend a wedding reception Saturday afternoon, but she instead decided to stay home with the kids after attending their football practice, Richardson said.

Sporting events, birthday parties and other child-centric activities consumed Janet Huntington's spare time and weekends, Richardson said.

"Her children were her life," Richardson said. "Every fiber in her being was devoted to her children, everything she did."

So much so that before she remarried, she worked in a grocery store while attending the nursing program at Moorpark College so she could create a better life for them, Richardson said.

On a GoFundMe page that Richardson established in her friend's name for the children, a woman identified as Tiffany Sidwell wrote:

"Janet was such an inspiration to me. I saw her be accepted to nursing school, keep working nights at the grocery store, take care of her two sons, go to church, keep up with her dear friends, and study like crazy. All at the same time! I don't know how she did it. Actually, I think I do. It was her children that kept her going, and I don't doubt that remained true until her last day."

Richardson said her friend rearranged her work schedule, transferring from the intensive-care unit at St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard to the same-day surgery and recovery unit at St. John's Pleasant Valley so she could have more flexible hours.

"She wanted to have more time with her children," Richardson said.

St. John's issued a statement Wednesday afternoon about Janet Huntington's death.

"We are saddened to learn of the tragic death of longtime St. John's nurse, Janet Huntington," the statement read. "Janet was a beloved member of our St. John's team, and we join the entire community in mourning her loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends, and we extend our sincere condolences."

Richardson said she still cannot believe her friend is gone.

"She was just one of those shining lights, the life of the party," she said. "She'd walk into a room with her beautiful, amazing smile that was contagious. She put everyone in a good mood."