It’s been close to five months since the shocking death of NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew. Since that tragedy, numerous tributes and celebrations of their lives have transpired. On Thursday, we learned of another touching tribute from Johnny’s wife, Meredith.
She shared that she recently got two tattoos to memorialize her late husband. These are just your typical tattoos, though. His ashes were mixed with the ink to keep his spirit alive and engrained on her body.
The first tattoo, on her left index finger, reads, “forever.” The second is located on her inner arm below her elbow, with the names of their two children.
Johnny Gaudreau’s Wife Meredith Gets Tattoos Using Late Hockey Star’s Ashes
Taynic Tattoos, a shop located in the Gaudreau’s home state of New Jersey and run by Taylor Nicole Clinch, detailed the experience on Instagram going back one month ago when Meredith first reached out with the idea.
“I’d never done [a cremation tattoo] and was transparent about that but she chose to stick with me anyway,” the shop wrote. “Shortly after, she let me in on her story, and it’s safe to say I got pretty emotional when I’d come to realize this was a story I’d already knew of and was brought to tears over the past.”
Although Taynic had never done anything like this, the post mentioned that some exceptions were made and that “safety was prioritized” given the circumstances. A medical professional even cleared the cremation tattoo.
“With his ashes in the ink, this tattoo became an additional way to carry his presence with her alongside their babies,” the message went on.
In the days after the devastating accident, Meredith shared a touching Instagram tribute, calling her time with Johnny “the best years of my life.” The decision to use his ashes in her tattoos is a beautiful reminder that he’ll always be with her.
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