Live updates: Funeral for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau held at Delco church (2024)

As It Happened 6 hours ago

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6 hours ago

Only the sound of crickets and an occasional bird, could be heard in the quiet residential neighborhood of Media on Monday morning.

The silence was palpable, only interrupted by St. Mary Magdalen Church’s bells at 10:30 a.m. and the cars and buses pulling into the parking lot. As each person stepped onto the asphalt and made their way into the church — some in traditional black, and others in bright colors, as requested by the family — the sun shined brightly.

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Sept. 9, 2:08 p.m. ET

The Columbus Blue Jacket's livestream of the funeral services concluded just before 2 p.m.

Johnny Gaudreau’s casket left the church first, accompanied by his pallbearers and wife Meredith, holding little Noa. After John was placed into his hearse, Matthew followed with Madeline alongside.

Sept. 9, 2:05 p.m. ET

Johnny Gaudreau “didn’t have a bad bone in his body,” said Meredith Gaudreau, his widow. “I strive to be more like him. He did everything he was supposed to, and he did everything right.”

Meredith and Johnny Gaudreau met in June 2018 while next-door neighbors down the shore in Avalon, where he would spend weekends away from his family just to see her.

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Sept. 9, 1:33 p.m. ET

Clad in a pink-and white floral sundress, the wife of Matthew Gaudreau stepped up to the podium with tears in her eyes.

“This past week has felt like a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” said Madeline Gaudreau, who has been with Matthew for 14 years.

Sept. 9, 12:56 p.m. ET

Both Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau attend Boston College, where Chieffo is also an alum.

Chieffo recalled a time when all three of them were on campus. Matthew was visiting Johnny at Boston College, where Johnny was a freshman at the time. Chieffo said he managed to watch the brothers say goodbye.

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Sept. 9, 12:42 p.m. ET

Pallbearer and South Jersey native Charlie Vasaturo opened the services by reading a passage from the Book of Wisdom.

"The souls of the just are in the hands of God, and no torment shall touch them," Vasturo quoted from Wisdom 3:1-9. "Their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us utter destruction, but they are in peace.

Sept. 9, 12:27 p.m. ET

Cole Caufield arrived alongside Seth Jones and Mike Matheson.

"It's tough for everybody around here,” he said. “Just being here and being around and supporting the family, doing anything we can do, it's obviously a really tough time. It doesn't feel real yet.”

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Sept. 9, 12:01 p.m. ET

At 11:30 a.m. prelude music started emanating from the church as mourners continued to arrive.

At 11:50 a.m., led by police escort, the hearses and family arrived at the church. The two hearses parked next to each other in front of the doors.

Sept. 9, 11:43 a.m. ET

Sept. 9, 11:34 a.m. ET

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman arrived at the church in advance of four buses filled with NHL executives and players.

Current and former members of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames, the two NHL teams Johnny Gaudreau played on, walked off and into each other’s arms.

Sept. 9, 10:45 a.m. ET

Church bells rang at 10:30 a.m. as mourners began to arrive for the funeral of John and Matthew Gaudreau in Media.

Among those showing up early to St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church was NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Sept. 9, 9:45 a.m. ET

The mood of Pearl Jam's concert at the Wells Fargo Center Saturday got somber and tearful Saturday when singer Eddie Vedder paid tribute to Gaudreau brothers.

“I lost my brother five years ago in something that was very immediate and traumatic," Vedder said. "Jeff Ament lost one of his great friends in a similar fashion. And Chris told me that what made it even more tragic was that they were such good men.”

Sept. 9, 8:12 a.m. ET

Katie Gaudreau is supposed to be sharing wedding and honeymoon pictures by now.

Instead, a black-and-white photo of her wedding ring engraved with a “J & M” is in her Instagram stories as tribute to her brothers Johnny and Matty, who were killed on the eve of what was to be her Aug. 30 wedding.

Sept. 9, 7:35 a.m. ET

A funeral for brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau is scheduled to take place today at a Delaware County church.

The pair will be laid to rest at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media on Monday, according to a letter from the parish. The funeral service sis scheduled to begin at noon, and can be streamed live here.

Sept. 9, 7:30 a.m. ET

In the wake of the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, the global hockey community rallied to mourn and pay tribute to the brothers and try to begin what promises to be a long and difficult healing process. The brothers, who played professional hockey, were killed Aug. 29 by a suspected drunk driver while they were riding their bikes near their family's home in South Jersey. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.

Thousands showed up to vigils in Columbus, Ohio, and Calgary, Alberta, the NHL cities where Johnny played, on Wednesday to remember Johnny and Matthew. Things began in Columbus, where more than 1,000 people showed up outside Nationwide Arena for a candlelight vigil wearing No. 13 Gaudreau jerseys and holding signs with messages of remembrance. They listened and watched, many sobbing, as members of the Columbus organization and Gaudreau’s former teammates told stories about Johnny, his on-ice exploits, and his fun-loving personality.

Sept. 9, 7:00 a.m. ET

Columbus Blue Jacket superstar Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, were struck and killed by a vehicle while riding their bicycles in Oldmans Township on Aug. 29. Johnny was 31 years old, and Matthew was 29. They were slated to celebrate their sister’s wedding on Friday.

The brothers, who grew up in Salem County, were riding their bicycles north on County Route 551, when they were struck by a man driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee, New Jersey State Police said in a statement.