Funeral for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau to be held at Delaware County church

A funeral for brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau is scheduled to take place at a Delaware County Church next week.

The pair will be laid to rest at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Media on Monday, according to a letter from the parish posted to X Wednesday evening. “While they are not from the parish, several members of our community are close to their families, and so they have requested to have their joint Funeral Mass here,” said the letter signed by the Rev. Erick J. Banecker, the church’s pastor.

The service will be livestreamed on the Columbus Blue Jackets’ official website at noon, a spokesperson for the team confirmed. St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Johnny, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were riding bikes along County Route 551 in Oldmans Township when an allegedly drunk driver struck them on Aug. 29, the day before their sister’s wedding. The driver has been identified as Sean Higgins, of Woodstown, a 43-year-old officer in the Army National Guard who previously worked for a drug and alcohol rehab firm. Higgins was charged with two counts of death by auto and is being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility. His next court hearing is Sept. 13.

The Gaudreau brothers grew up in Salem County, N.J., as ice hockey royalty; they both played for Gloucester Catholic High School before going on to professional careers.

» READ MORE: Mike Sielski: Johnny and Matty Gaudreau were more than hockey. They were inspirations to their South Jersey community.

Johnny Gaudreau — a seven-time NHL all-star — was playing for the Columbus Blue Jackets at the time of his death and spent his first nine seasons in the league with the Calgary Flames. Matthew Gaudreau, meanwhile, had returned to South Jersey as a coach at Gloucester Catholic High School after five seasons in the NHL’s development league.

Large crowds are expected at the funeral, the letter said. The entire Blue Jackets’ team is planning to attend the service, general manager Don Waddell told reporters.

The funeral is one of several tributes across the hockey community. Fans have been leaving flowers and memorabilia on the steps of Calgary’s Scotiabank Saddledome, where the Flames play. And in Columbus, the Blue Jackets held a candlelight vigil that drew upward of a thousand mourners.

» READ MORE: Driver charged in Johnny Gaudreau’s death is a Drexel grad who works for a Pennsylvania drug rehab firm

In the region, Gloucester Catholic is hosting a night of remembrance in the school’s gym on Friday. The brothers were also honored with a moment of silence during a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park.