Devastation Of Losing Johnny And Matthew Gaudreau On Full Display In Heartfelt Service
A large turnout of family, friends, teammates and more mourned the loss of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at an emotional memorial service Monday.
The devastation that hit the hockey world after a tragedy was on full display Monday when a memorial service was held in Media, Pa., in memory of NHL star left winger Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau.
The service, which took place at Saint Mary Magdalen Parish, saw a massive turnout of friends, family and teammates of the Gaudreau brothers, who were killed by an alleged drunk driver on Aug. 29 in Oldsman Township, N.J.
Johnny Gaudreau’s teammates on the Columbus Blue Jackets were in attendance, as well as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. But it was the Gaudreau family’s words that had the most impact.
To begin the service, Rev. Tony Penna, who serves as associate vice-president and director of campus ministry at Boston College where the Gaudreau brothers played, spoke to the theme of the afternoon: the Gaudreau boys’ deep love for each other, and for their families.
“They had an intensity to their love that was unbelievable,” Penna said of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before offering a message of hope in memory of the brothers. “Let’s be better at loving our own kids so that they might grow up to be the kind of people we celebrate here today.”
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One of the Gaudreau’s two sisters, Katie, gave a brief reading at the start of the service from the Bible. Then, the Gaudreau brothers’ widows, Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau, gave the assembled crowd – and those following the ceremony around the world via a livestream – a glimpse into the wonderful lives they’d been living with Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau prior to the tragedy.
“John took care of Matty, and Matty would take care of John,” Madeline Gaudreau, Matthew Gaudreau’s wife, said of the brothers. “To know both of them was to truly love them. They were so extremely proud of each other, and it brings me comfort knowing they are still together forever, as they always were.”
That said, Madeline Gaudreau acknowledged the horror of the loss of her husband and brother-in-law.
“This last week has felt like I’ve been trapped in a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” Madeline Gaudreau said. “I feel numb, angry, sad, blessed all at once. Mostly, I just miss Matt.”
Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, spoke longest at the service, chronicling her relationship with Johnny and the NHL journey that took them from a happy life in Calgary to Johnny’s final NHL destination in Columbus. She painted the picture of a humble family man who did his utmost to live a joyful life every day.
“He didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” Meredith said of Johnny Gaudreau. “He never spoke badly about anyone. The most humble person I’ve ever met. Zero ego, quiet, sweet and shy. He was everything and more that I’ve only dreamt about finding in a husband, and then he made all my dreams come true. He did everything he was supposed to, and he did everything right.”
Meredith Gaudreau also revealed she is pregnant with their third child, having already given birth to their daughter, Noa, and son, Johnny.
Meredith Gaudreau also spoke about the bond veteran NHLer Sean Monahan had with Johnny Gaudreau. Their relationship flourished when both were Calgary Flames teammates and continued through this summer when Monahan became a Blue Jackets teammate. Meredith Gaudreau spoke emotionally about Monahan and also NHLer Kevin Hayes (a teammate of John’s at Boston College) for their link to her husband.
“I know John is rooting for you on the ice as your guardian angel,” Meredith Gaudreau said to Hayes and Monahan. “John loved you so much.”
Gaudreau’s parents, Guy and Jane Gaudreau, were understandably beside themselves with grief, particularly as the service was ending and the caskets containing their two children were led out of the church. But Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau truly set the tones for everyone – a tone of gratitude for the time they did have together and a tone of determination to carry on the brothers’ legacy to their children, their family and their friends.
Everyone on hand was clearly in deep mourning, but their faith and memories of their time together with Matthew and Johnny are a solace for them as they look to find a way to carry on without two wonderful people.
“Despite losing my husband way too soon, I still feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be his wife,” Meredith Gaudreau said. “He was my person, and when you know, you know. It wasn’t any more complicated than that. He was, and still is my soulmate.”