Katie Gaudreau is sharing a photo of her late brother Matthew Gaudreau’s newborn baby son, Tripp.
In her pic, which she posted over the weekend on Instagram, the proud aunt smiles while holding Tripp, whose mom is Matthew Gaudreau’s widow, Madeline Gaudreau.
Hanging on a wall behind the two are photos of Matthew Gaudreau, 29, and his brother, NHL star Johnny Gaudreau, 31. The brothers died in August 2024 after being struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver while they were riding bikes in their New Jersey hometown, according to NBC Philadelphia..
“Tripp Matthew. I love you forever and ever. We are so lucky to have our little piece of heaven on earth. You look more and more like your dad everyday. Words can’t begin to express how much I love you,” Katie Gaudrea wrote in her caption. She added emojis of a butterfly and hearts.
Baby Tripp’s arrival was announced on Dec. 29, 2024, four months after the heartbreaking family tragedy, which took place on the day before Katie Gaudreau was set to marry her fiancé, Devin Joyce.
At the brothers’ funeral in September 2024, Johnny Gaudreau’s widow, Meredith Gaudreau, announced that she, too, was pregnant with her late husband’s baby.
Meredith Gaudreau and Johnny Gaudreau’ already share two children, 2-year-old daughter Noa and son, John, who was born in February 2024.
In September, Katie Gaudreau honored her late brothers when she shared a photo of a ring she had engraved with the initials J and M in her Instagram story.
“Forever with me now,” she wrote over the picture.
The grieving sister has written of her heartbreak in several Instagram posts since her brothers were killed.
“That day,” she started an Instagram post shared on Sept. 5, which featured several family photos and a quote.
“Right in the middle of getting ready for the best day of my life the unthinkable happens that will change my life forever,” she wrote in the caption.
“I remember a week ago being in the hotel sitting with family and texting Devin about how we forgot to practice our dip. To think that was our biggest worry at this moment when in just a split second and a phone call later our lives would forever change.”