Katie Couric gave an emotional tribute to her late husband, Jay Monahan, at her daughter Ellie Monahan’s wedding earlier this month.
The former TODAY co-anchor, 64, shared her full speech on her personal website, Today reports, in which Couric takes readers on an emotional ride full of raw admissions as she showed “appreciation for the village who helped her raise her daughter,” her blog post noted.
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Couric married Monahan in 1989. He died from colon cancer in 1998 at the age of 42.
"I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t tell you that for many years I’d been dreading this day — because of the people who are not here," she began before mentioning the late grandparents and other relatives of the bride and groom, Mark Dobrosky.
"But most of all, the father of the bride, Jay Monahan. Jay would be so proud of you both and so thrilled that Ellie married a lacrosse player. And a terrific guy," Couric said.
The mom of two continued, "When Jay was in the throes of cancer and it seemed as if the end of his life might be near, he looked at me and said, ‘You know, nothing really matters except your friends and family.‘ When everything else was stripped away, Jay understood what was essential to a meaningful life.”
She added, "Ellie, he would be beaming to witness the woman you’ve become... and somehow, some way, I hope he is.”
Ellie also made sure her late father was apart of the wedding by walking down the aisle alone to one of his favorite songs, “Ashokan Farewell,” by Jay Ungar and his family band, the outlet says.
"Jay Monahan loved that song, which was used in Ken Burn’s series on the Civil War, so it was a way to honor him," Couric wrote. "Yes, I cried the whole time," she added. "Most of the people there did."
Couric married her second husband, John Molner, in 2014.
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