Meredith Gaudreau honored her late husband, Johnny Gaudreau, on the one-year anniversary of his death.
“I have the best husband,” Meredith wrote via her Instagram Story on Friday, August 29. “One year closer to seeing you again and being with you forever 
. Forever for real.”
Meredith explained how the date of Johnny’s death also holds special significance for her.
“8/29/20 we got engaged,” she wrote. “8/29 is a reminder of what forever means to me. I love you 
.”
Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s Parents Were Hospitalized After Their Deaths
Johnny, a star for the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, were struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while they were riding bicycles in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, on August 29, 2024, the night before their younger sister, Katie Gaudreau, was scheduled to get married. Johnny was 31 years old, while Matthew was 29.
Meredith and Johnny share daughter Noa, 2, and sons Johnny, 18 months, and Carter, who was born in April. At Johnny and Matthew’s memorial service in September 2024, Meredith revealed she was pregnant with Carter.
During an interview with Good Morning America earlier this month, Meredith reflected on the final words she said to Johnny.
“I just said to John that I would take care of our kids,” Meredith said, while wiping away tears. “I thanked him for such a great life.”
Meredith was joined by Matthew’s widow, Madeline Gaudreau, for the interview. Madeline gave birth to the couple’s first baby, son Tripp, in December 2024.
In an essay published via the The Players Tribune in June, Meredith said she was “keeled over for days sick to my stomach” after learning of the brothers’ deaths.
“It’s completely indescribable,” Meredith wrote. ”The only person who can relate to me is my own sister-in-law. I see her and my heart breaks for her.”
Meredith pieced together details from that fateful day, explaining she first heard something was wrong from the brothers’ younger sister, who was preparing to walk down the aisle. (Katie eventually married Devin Joyce last month.)
Johnny Gaudreau’s Widow Meredith Gets Standing Ovation at NHL Draft
“Katie called, and she said something had happened but she didn’t know what exactly,” Meredith said. “My dad drove me over to your parents’, and I was thinking the whole time about how I was going to help you through whatever it could be that had happened to Matty. And then I walked up the front porch and learned the absolute worst had happened and that it was both of you.”
Meredith made a promise to her late husband that she would raise the couple’s three children “to be the best versions of themselves.”
“They will be kind and humble and passionate and caring and all the things I loved about you. I promise,” Meredith wrote. “And when the time comes for me to tell them about you, they’ll know how remarkable their dad was. I already have the boys watching your highlights and Noa watches videos of you and her together every day. You were humble, you were responsible, you were hard-working. You were the sweetest boyfriend, the greatest husband, and the best father.”
