The widow of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau remembered her late brother-in-law, Matthew, on Saturday night, days after her brother was killed by a suspected drunk driver in New Jersey.
“John and Matty. You can't hear one of them without hearing the other. They're always next to each other.” Meredith Gaudreau wrote on Instagram..
“Even in a big group of people, they are close friends. Even though he is John's younger brother, John looked up to Mattie and relied on her for everything,” she wrote, “and Mattie was always there. Despite their polar opposite personalities, they are each other's best confidants and biggest fans.”
“Everyone wanted to be there for them, including me. I just sat back and watched John really enjoy spending time with his brother.”
His heartbroken sister-in-law said her thoughts were with Matthew's wife, who is due to give birth to their first child in December.
“Thank you Matty for loving our baby boy like your own and being an amazing uncle and godfather. I can't wait to give back by being an aunt to Tripp.”
The news of Matthew and his wife Madeleine's baby was heartbreakingly revealed by Madeleine's sister. A GoFundMe post.
“I don't think John could survive a day without you so I take comfort in knowing you are all together in heaven,” Meredith wrote. “Please continue to take care of John as you always have. Madeline and Tripp are mine. We love you both so much.”
“I love you so much. Mattie loved John just as much. You, Noah and Johnny are mine too,” Madeline Gaudreau captioned a slideshow of five photos, referring to the couple's two young children.
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed Thursday night while riding their bicycles on County Road 51 in Old Mans Township, New Jersey.
The Gaudreau couple were killed less than 24 hours before they were scheduled to serve as groomsmen at his sister Katie's Friday afternoon wedding.
Suspected drink driver Sean Higgins crashed into the brothers just after 8pm the day before their sister Katie's wedding.
Higgins, 43, is the financial director for Gaudenzia Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center but has been placed on administrative leave since his arrest, the company told The Post on Saturday.
A U.S. Army major and active-duty member of the New Jersey Army National Guard was arrested on two counts of vehicular homicide while suspected of driving while intoxicated and ordered held until a detention hearing on Sept. 5.
Merideth's tribute came a day after she mourned her husband's death in a separate post, calling herself “the luckiest woman in the world.”
“Thank you for the best years of my life,” Meredith Gaudreau wrote on Instagram, alongside a carousel of photos of her and Gaudreau over the years.
“Despite losing you, I am the luckiest girl in the world to be yours. I love you so much,” she wrote.
In a subsequent post, Meredith called Johnny “the best dad in the world” and “the best partner to raise our children with.”
