Funeral for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau to be held Monday at church in Media, Pennsylvania
MEDIA, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- The funeral details have been released for NHL player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, who were killed last week by a suspected drunken driver while riding their bikes in their home state of New Jersey.
A memorial service for family and close friends will be held at Saint Mary Magdalen Church in Media, Pennsylvania, on Monday, September 9 at 12 p.m.
The NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, for whom Johnny Gaudreau played and was known around the sport as "Johnny Hockey," said the team will stream the service on their website.
Contributions in both John and Matthew's memory may be made to the John & Matthew Gaudreau Foundation c/o Lewis Gross, Sports Professional Management Inc. 560 Sylvan Ave., Suite 3070, Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 07632
Saint Mary Magdalen Church said in a note to families that the parish school would be closed for the services on Monday.
"I ask you to consider this inconvenience a small sacrifice that will help ease the pain just a bit of John and Matthew's parents, wives, children, siblings, relatives and friends," Rev. Eric Banecker wrote.
Banecker noted that while the Gaudreau brothers are not from the parish, several members of the church community are close to their family and requested to have the joint Funeral Mass there.
Meanwhile, donations continued to pile up to support Matthew's widow, Madeline, who is pregnant with the couple's first child, due in December. A GoFundMe set up by Madeline's sister, Holland Korbitz, and verified by the online fundraising company had raised more than $625,000 as of Thursday night.
Dozens of current and former players from around the league, or their significant others, are listed among the more than 7,800 donors, including $3,000 from the family of New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin and $2,013 from Matt Duchene of the Dallas Stars, for a total of $567,127 - well beyond the initial $30,000 goal.
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The Gaudreau brothers were cycling on a road in Oldmans Township in Salem County, New Jersey on Thursday night when a man driving an SUV in the same direction attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind about 8 p.m., according to New Jersey State Police. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Their deaths came on the eve of their sister Katie's wedding, which had been scheduled for Friday.
Police said the driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins, was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.
Higgins' pretrial hearing was postponed until September 13 to allow more time for his defense and the state to provide the court with additional documentation.
Attorneys Matthew Portella and Richard Klineburger III said Higgins had hired them to represent him.
RELATED: Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau's sister speaks out after fatal crash: 'Best big brothers'
On Wednesday night, a candlelight vigil was held for the brothers. It included 13 minutes and 21 seconds of silent remembrance in honor of Johnny and Matthew's jersey numbers.
Hundreds of fans turned out for the candlelight vigil outside Nationwide Arena, which is home to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
"He's still here with us, he's still a Blue Jacket," said Stephen Armentrout from Columbus, Ohio.
At the vigil, teammates addressed the crowd and remembered their brothers on the ice.
READ MORE: Blue Jackets fans, players remember Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau at candlelight vigil in Columbus
"I'm honored to call Johnny a great teammate and a great friend. Love you, man," said forward Cole Sillinger with the Blue Jackets.
"Nothing will fill the void in our hearts but through our remembrance, we can find the strength to get through this difficult time together," added captain and center Boone Jenner.
The team also called on others to be aware of the dangers of drunk driving.
"I urge you, please, please, I beg you, having fun is one thing, but please find a ride home. There's no reason for a tragedy like this," said Erik Gudbranson, defenseman for the Blue Jackets.
