Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's Pregnant Widows Promise to Honor Each Other's Husbands 'Hand in Hand' at Funeral

At an emotional ceremony on Monday, Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s widows both shared tearful tributes to their late husbands and vowed support for each other and their children.

Johnny, the 31-year-old NHL star, and his brother Matthew, 29, were killed on Aug. 29 when an alleged drunk driver crashed into them while riding their bikes along in Oldmans Township, New Jersey the night before their sister Katie’s wedding.

Both brothers’ wives — Johnny’s widow Meredith Gaudreau, and Matthew’s widow Madeline Gaudreau — are pregnant. 

Near the end of her speech at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media, Penn., Madeline turned to Meredith and addressed her sister-in-law directly: “Meredith, I am so sorry that we will forever share this bond,” Madeline said. “The boys could not have picked stronger women as wives and mothers of their children.”

Madeline continued: “There is one person in this world that knows the exact feeling I am feeling, and that is you, and for that I am sorry. The loss of a husband, a father, our comfort. I promise I will always be there for you and the kids and that we will honor the lives of our husbands together, hand in hand, alongside their family and friends.”

Madeline is pregnant with her and Matthew’s first baby, Tripp, while Meredith announced at the memorial service Monday that she is nine weeks pregnant with her and Johnny’s third baby together. 

Meredith and Johnny welcomed their second child, baby Johnny, in February. They also share daughter Noa, who turns 2 in October. During her speech, Meredith said “there aren’t even words that could touch on how to describe my love for John.”

“He didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” the late Columbus Blue Jackets star’s widow said, adding, “I strive to be more like him. He did everything he was supposed to, and he did everything right.”

During her speech, Madeline said, “this last week has felt like I’ve been trapped in a nightmare I can’t wake up from.” 

“I feel numb, angry, sad, and blessed all at once,” Matthew’s widow said. “Some days the thought of this new reality is debilitating, but mostly I just miss Matt.”

Both Meredith and Madeline recalled how they first met their husbands — Madeline and Matthew meeting through a mutual friend in Omaha, Neb., before doing four years long distance in college, while Johnny and Meredith first met when they became neighbors in 2018, falling in love almost immediately.

The widows both shared stories about how close Matthew and Johnny were, with Madeline noting how the Gaudreau brothers slept in the same bedroom together until college. 

“And neither of them wanted that to change,” she said, drawing laughs from the families, friends, teammates, and NHL officials in attendance.

“John took care of Matty, and Matty would take care of John,” Madeline said. “To know both of them was to truly love them. It was impossible not to fall in love with them. Meredith said it best, you do not hear one name without the other. They were so extremely proud of each other.”

Madeline also urged everyone to never drink and drive. “Call a ride,” Matthew’s widow said. “Please do not put another family through this torture.”

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Sean M. Higgins, the alleged drunk driver, had attempted to pass another car when he fatally hit the Gaudreau brothers, New Jersey State Police told PEOPLE last month. Higgins was arrested and charged with two counts of death by auto and arrested.

Johnny and Matthew were in town to serve as groomsmen for their sister Katie’s wedding, set to take place the next day, which has been postponed.