Meredith Gaudreau, widow of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, announced her pregnancy with their third child during the memorial service for Johnny and his brother Matthew on Monday.
“John and I had the best six months as a family of four. These will forever be the best six months of my life,” Meredith said at the service. “There’s specifically one week that I will cherish forever — it will be my favorite week of my life out of those six months. We’re actually a family of five. I’m in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby.”
She called the pregnancy a “total surprise.”
“The way I describe Columbus is similar to the way I describe John. You have to come out and find out for yourself, and then once you know it, you love it”
Meredith Gaudreau with a message to the Fifth Line and Columbus during the eulogy for Johnny Gaudreau: pic.twitter.com/v5IMgHhRLW
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) September 9, 2024
Their first child, daughter Noa Harper Gaudreau, was born on Sept. 30, 2022. Their second, son Johnny Edward Gaudreau, was born on Feb. 22.
“Noa, our oldest, hasn’t even turned two yet. In less than three years of marriage, we’ve created a family of five,” she said at the memorial service. “It doesn’t even sound possible, but I look at it as the ultimate blessing. How lucky am I to be the mother of John’s three babies? Our last one being a blessing and so special despite these difficult circumstances.”
On Aug. 29, Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were hit and killed by a suspected drunk driver while riding bikes in Salem County, N.J., police reported.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
COLUMBUS, OHIO – JANUARY 2: Johnny Gaudreau of the Columbus Blue Jackets warms up prior to the start of the game against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena on Jan. 2, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Gaudreau’s widow is pregnant.
Kirk Irwin/Getty Images
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was charged with driving under the influence, reckless driving, and two counts of death by auto. He is scheduled for a hearing on Sept. 13.
It was the night before their sister, Katie’s, wedding.
Matthew Gaudreau’s widow, Madeline, is also pregnant with their first child.
The two brothers’ lives were celebrated on Monday at a service in Media, Penn., at St. Mary Magdalen Parish. They arrived side by side and were laid to rest the same way.
“They slept in the same room up until college, and neither of them wanted that to change,” Madeline Gaudreau said.
“John took care of Matty, and Matty took care of John. It brings me comfort to know they are still together forever, as they always were.”
“The fact that you are both together in Heaven gives me a little bit of comfort,” Meredith said of the siblings. “I know John could not live a day without his brother. That whatever silly conversation they were having just picked up in heaven in a flash.”
The pallbearers for Johnny included NHL players Kevin Hayes, Andrew Mangiapane, and Sean Monahan, while Matthew’s casket was carried by, among others, Devinn Joyce, his future brother-in-law.
The funeral followed a private viewing on Sunday.
