Katie Couric Honors Late Husband Jay Monahan on Anniversary

It’s been more than 23 years since Katie Couric said goodbye to her late husband, Jay Monahan, but there isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t cross her mind. In honor of what would’ve been their 32nd wedding anniversary, the TV star shared touching family photos with their two daughters, Ellie Monahan and Carrie Monahan.

“Today [would] have been our 32nd wedding anniversary,” Katie, 64, emotionally wrote via Instagram on Thursday, June 10. “This is a sad day, but also a day I feel grateful for the eight years I was married to Jay and for the way he lives on in our girls.”

The Today alum penned her lengthy message alongside several heartwarming throwbacks. In addition to a snap from their 1989 wedding day, as well as photos of Jay when he was a young man, Katie uploaded pics of their beautiful girls, 29-year-old Ellie and 25-year-old Carrie.

“For those of you who have loved and lost and loved again, you probably experience the same strange feelings on days like this,” the beloved journalist continued, pointing out how thankful she is that her second spouse, John Molner, respects the way she remembers the lawyer.

“While I am thinking about Jay today, I’m also appreciating John who allows me to honor his memory and understands there is room in my heart to love them both,” she gushed.

Katie was wed to the former NBC News analyst from 1989 until Jay’s death in January 1998. Tragically, he was diagnosed with colon cancer in early 1997. During an appearance on WNYC’s “Death, Sex & Money” podcast shortly after, the Going There author recalled how her life went from “complete contentment to complete chaos” at the time of Jay’s cancer diagnosis.

“The grief started there,” Katie candidly shared, noting she struggled to keep a happy face in front of Jay because she was actually “[falling] apart” whenever they talked about his death. “I didn’t want to ruin the time he had left with just hopelessness.”

Looking back, the doting mom of two wishes she “had the courage” to discuss their final moments together. “I think I overprotected him,” she explained. “I wish I really [talked] to my husband about the fact that he was probably going to die. It was too terrifying. I think that prevented me … from ever really saying goodbye.”

In order to cope, Katie focused on raising her children as a single mother while juggling her busy schedule as a TV star. More than a decade after Jay’s death, though, she found love with husband John, whom she wed in 2014. Though John completely changed Katie’s life for the better, the producer will always hold a piece of Jay in her heart.

“I think about him all the time,” Katie exclusively gushed to Closer Weekly in June 2015. “We still have photos of Jay all over the place and I try to keep him alive in our day-to-day interactions. I honored him by raising two pretty great kids who have a lot of him in them.”

Keep scrolling to see the rare family photos Katie shared in honor of her and Jay’s wedding anniversary.