gave an emotional eulogy for her late husband,
“This last week has felt like I’ve been trapped in a nightmare I can’t wake up from,” Madeline said at the memorial service on Monday, September 9. “I feel numb, angry, sad, blessed all at once. Some days, the thought of this new reality is debilitating, but mostly I just miss Matt.”
Madeline, who is pregnant with the couple’s first child, tearfully said she knows “Matt will surround his son for the rest of his life.” She added, “I’m so thankful God gave us a child, a little Matty, to run around for life, to carry on his legacy. Trip will know how much his father loved him, and I promise to do all the things with him we talked about.”
At the end of the emotional tribute, Madeline encouraged people not to drink and drive. “Call a ride. Please do not put another family through this torture,” she urged.
Matthew and his brother, were killed on August 29 when they were struck while riding their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey. At the time of their deaths, Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.
Us Weekly confirmed the brothers were hit by 43-year-old , who was arrested and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide. Higgins is suspected of being drunk at the time of the incident.
The New Jersey State Police told Us that Higgins was driving behind two vehicles and “attempted to pass the slower-moving sedan and SUV” when he “entered the southbound lanes of travel, passed the slower-moving sedan and attempted to re-enter the northbound lanes of travel.”
“The SUV in front of Higgins moved to the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes to safely pass the two pedalcyclist traveling north on the right side of the roadway,” which is when the accident occurred. Higgins struck both Johnny and Matthew “in the rear.”
The brothers were set to be groomsmen in sister ’s wedding, which was scheduled to be the following day. The nuptials have since been postponed. Johnny and Matthew are survived by their parents and sisters and their respective wives, Meredith and Madeline.
“Last night we lost two husbands, two fathers, two sons, two brothers, two sons and brothers in law, two nephews, two cousins, two family members, two teammates, two friends but truly two amazing human beings,” Johnny and Matthew’s uncle said in an August 30 statement released on behalf of the family. “We want to let everyone know we are receiving your messages of love and support and we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers.”
In the days following their untimely deaths, the brothers were honored by the Columbus Blue Jackets, where Johnny played. (Johnny was initially drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2011 before joining the Blue Jackets in 2022.)
Nearly 1,000 people gathered outside Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, September 4, per the Associated Press. Players and fans lit their candles at 7:49 p.m. and remembered the brothers for 13 minutes and 21 seconds, signifying Johnny and Matthew’s respective jersey numbers.
Johnny’s teammate shared a sentimental story at the memorial in honor of the athlete. “A little thing I did with John is I’d pick him up and give him a bear hug, and I wouldn’t put him down until he told me he loved me,” Gudbranson, 32, said. “He wouldn’t tell me for a long time. I know up here it was because he enjoyed the hug. We just miss him so much.”
